Unbreak My Heart
by IsabellClair
Summary: The Host in Jared's POV! This is my take on what Jared went through in The Host. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I know, this was quite unexpected, but I've had this story growing inside my head, and i had to write it out! This is my first Host fic, so be nice! I hope everyone enjoys it! **

**It's going to be all in Jared's POV, and his complete view from The Host! I will be sticking closely to the book. **

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I laid under the stars, the most amazing woman laying in my arms. Her skin was soft under my fingertips as I trailed them up and down her spine. The night air was warm, but it was cooler than the temperature inside to cottage, where Jamie slept soundless, oblivious to the fact that he was alone.

The raid we just got back from tired him out, so Melanie and I knew we had the night to ourselves. We were both grateful, since it would be the last night for a while.

My thoughts focused on the fact that she was leaving me tomorrow night. My arms instinctively tightened around her. She let out a gush of air when my grip became too tight.

"I'll be fine," she promised me. I didn't buy it.

"Don't go," I begged. This wasn't the first night we had this conversation.

"You know I have to." She whispered, turning her head to touch her lips to my chest.

I shivered, then regained my self control so I could answer her. "Mel, what if she's not there? What if we're too late and there's someone there waiting for you? Think of Jamie…" I trailed off, feeling her tears dripping onto my chest.

Seeing Melanie cry was something I rarely saw. It almost startled me to see her crying now.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I didn't mean to bring Jamie into this. He'll be fine with me, you know that."

She nodded, trying to keep her sniffling quiet.

"Hey," I said softly, cupping her face in my hands and forcing her to look up at me. "You know what you're doing. You'll be fine. Ignore my stupid pleas to keep you here. I'm just being selfish."

She rolled her eyes, smiling the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. It would have just about knocked me off my feet, if I wasn't already laying down.

"I don't want to talk about leaving." She stated, moving herself up my body, so her lips could reach mine.

I held her face more securely in my hands, keeping her lips locked on mine. I wasn't sure how long it will be before I had the chance to kiss her again.

The morning sun rose, casting shadows across our skin. We both woke up at the same time, watching the sun gleaming down at us from above the trees.

I watched Melanie get to her feet and pull on my t-shirt before she turned to take my hands. I let her help me up, and I pulled on my shorts. I took her hand and led her into the cottage.

I slumped down on the couch, hitting Jamie's legs, knocking them out of my way.

"Go away," he mumbled, rolling onto his side, and hiding his face against the back of the couch.

"Go lay in mine and your sister's room." I told him, poking his leg.

He kicked me before wrapping the sheet around him and dragged his feet, still half asleep into my room. I laughed to myself when I heard him collapse onto the mattress.

I lounged on the couch as I watched Melanie fry up some eggs that we had gotten on our raid. She cooked up the whole carton, knowing we would eat them all.

Of course, Jamie couldn't sleep through the smell of food cooking. He walked out of the room, his hair sticking out worse than mine.

"Rough night?" I asked, laughing with my mouth full of eggs.

"No," he yawned, sitting beside me on the couch just as Melanie kissed the top of his head and placed his plate in his outstretched hands.

She worked on smoothing down his hair as he shoveled the eggs into his mouth.

"Eat," I demanded, noticing her plate still sitting on the counter, empty.

"I will, after you guys have what you want."

"Mel, I'm fine with what I have." Jamie huffed, shoveling the last bit on his plate into his mouth. I was half expecting him to start licking the plate.

She leaned down and kissed the top of his head again. "You're still hungry, eat some more."

"Melanie Stryder, he's had enough, eat those eggs before I shove them down your throat." I threatened. My smile gave me away. I couldn't be serious with her. She always brought the smile to my face.

"Okay, okay," she giggled, taking my face in her hands and kissing me.

Jamie cleared his throat a few times before he spoke. "So… so when are you leaving, Mel?"

"Tonight," her voice shook. I was the only one that noticed it. I knew her well enough to know she was scared. But she would never show it in front of her brother.

She walked over, leaning over the back of the couch as she ate. "I want both of you to listen to me." She stated.

Jamie and I both groaned. She was going to give us orders while she was gone. I wasn't some kid she needed to look after. I wasn't Jamie.

"No arguing, I got it." I smiled, flashing her my teeth.

She rolled her eyes and reached out to run her fingers through my hair. Her face was serious, which caused mine to immediately match hers.

"Jamie remembers the lines, I want you guys to go there. If I'm not back in a few days. I need you to get away from here. As far away as you-" Jamie cut her off.

"You're coming back, right? You always come back, remember? We're not leaving here without you." His bottom lip quivered and I looked away from him, pretending I didn't see it.

Melanie shoved her plate towards me, and she walked around the couch to kneel in front of her brother. "I will always come back for you, but you know we have to make precautions… just incase."

Jamie shook his head. "There are no 'just incases', Mel, you're coming back, with Sharon, and we're going to find where the lines lead to together. Just like we planned."

"I promise you, Jamie. I will never leave you, I'm coming back." She looked over at me, pleading with her beautiful eyes. I knew she was asking me to protect him no matter what. I knew we had to leave just incase, but it pained me to think of someone else looking through the eyes that are baring into me now. I didn't want to think of that. I wanted her to kneel in front of me and promise to come back to me. I was stronger than that, though.

I leaned forward, squaring my shoulders, and nodded.

Nightfall came too quick for me, and I found myself holding Melanie for the very last time for a few days. My mind was on repeat: _She'll be fine. She's coming back. She'll be fine. She's coming back…_ I focused on the words as I packed up the car for her, I took my time, letting her and Jamie say their goodbyes alone.

"Remind me again…" She pleaded, hiding her face in my shirt. I knew she was referring back to two night ago, when I promised her we would find each other. That no matter where she went, I would be able to find her.

"No matter what, Mel, I'll find you. We'll be together again. There's nothing in this world that could keep us apart."

"I love you, Jared." She whispered against my lips.

"I love you, too, Baby."

I kissed her once more, before letting her go. She hugged Jamie once more and kissed his cheek.

Without looking back, she ran off to find her cousin. I could only hope to see both of them soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! This story got a better outcome than I was expecting! I'm so glad you're all liking it. I'm trying my best to really get into his head and make it seem like it's his POV. I hope I'm staying on track. For those of you who are Host fans, I have a website dedicated to the book (and soon to be movie). thehostfandom[dot]com. He can't post links on here, so just replace the [dot] with . lol. There is a forum, too, so sign up! I will also be posting updates to this story on the forum, and some extra chapters from others POV's if you want to hear something from someone besides Jared. Can't wait to chat with some of you around the forum! **

**And thanks again for reading!**

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I stood in front of Jamie, both of us watching the dirt settle back to the ground from Melanie's tires. Once the dust settled, we stood, silent, starring into nothing.

I was waiting to listen to the car turning around. I was hoping to see her coming back to me. But I knew this was something she had to do. It was her family, and I had to understand that.

I heard the door shut behind me and glanced over my shoulder. Jamie was more upset than I was to see Melanie leave. I gave him his space, knowing he needed it. I needed my own space, but I would stay strong until I knew Jamie was asleep.

Neither of us spoke for the remainder of the night.

Jamie and I sat, silent, on the couch, starring at the darkness outside.

"You should eat something." I said, breaking the four hour long silence.

"Not hungry," he said, his voice cracking.

I glanced at him and straightened myself up. I reached for his shoulders and straightened him up as well. "Perk up, boy, it's not the end of the world. Be a man." It killed me to tell him that, but he needed to stop moping-I needed to stop moping. I was talking to him just as much as I was talking to myself.

Jamie immediately squared his shoulders and held his chin up. His face was serious as he stared out the window in front of us.

I wasn't hungry, but I knew he was only going to eat if I did.

I threw together two sandwiches, and forced mine down while Jamie forced his.

When it was time for bed, I stared at the dark empty room and was almost scared to walk inside.

I turned to see Jamie on his knees, praying- something he only did when Melanie or I went out on a raid without him. He crawled onto the couch and pulled his blanket over his head, turning to hide himself in the back of the couch. His shoulder shook lightly and I dropped my gaze to my feet, feeling my own tears threatening to spill over.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. She's left us before and came back. This time was no difference.

The night was restless, and I knew it would be that way until Melanie was back, sleeping safely in my arms.

The days dragged on forever, the sun couldn't set fast enough to end the day. By the seventh day, Jamie and I had completely stopped eating what little we were forcing down.

"Jared, she's not back yet." Jamie whispered. We were sitting outside on the ground, starring at our normal spot.

She wasn't coming home.

I nodded, not able to force my words to agree with him. I took a few deep breaths before speaking. "Give her some more time. Probably took her a while to convince Sharon that she's still Mel."

"Yeah," Jamie's voice sounded far away.

Three more days passed and I had to come to terms that she wasn't coming back here. She couldn't have been caught. She has never gotten caught. She must be hurt. That had to be it. She hurt her ankle, broke it while she was running. She's hiding, waiting for me to rescue her.

"Mel!" I yelled, jumping out of bed.

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked frantically as he watched me race around the cottage. I was throwing things into bags. Enough food and water for Jamie and I to travel with.

"Get ready, kid, Melanie needs us."

"Why? How do you know?"

"She's not back yet. This whole time she's probably been hiding because she's hurt or something. We have to leave, now."

Jamie didn't speak again. He raced around the house just as quickly as I was. Within ten minutes we had the jeep packed up. We raced towards Chicago, ditching the jeep to continue on by foot.

The building I knew she was going to was not far from where we parked. The street was quiet for the time of day. The sun had set a few hours ago, and many of the houses on the street were dark.

Jamie and I hurried across the street, our black clothes blending in with the moonless night.

The heavy metal door echoed in the empty building as I shoved it open.

Jamie and I moved, sneaking along the wall, with our backs pressed up against it.

I wanted to call out for her, but I wasn't sure if someone was in here.

We moved silently through the vacant building.

We found ourselves at the door where Melanie had said she would leave us a note if something was to separate us. She would give us a hint that she had made it here.

I pushed open the door and got down on my hands and knees, searching for the note I was hoping not to find.

"I found something," Jamie whispered, touching my shoulder before he handed me the piece of paper.

I walked over to the window, careful to stay in the shadow. I slid the paper into the light from the streetlamp below and gasped, the tears I've been holding in spilling over.

_Not fast enough. Love you love Jamie. Don't go home._

I ripped up the piece of paper when I felt Jamie beside me.

"Was it the note?"

"We need to get out of here." I hissed.

"Why?" He asked, his voice frightened.

"Lets go," I grumbled, and we raced for the doors of the building. No one followed us, and I was mad at that. I needed to get my hands around one of their necks. They were going to pay for taking her away from me.

"Jared! Stop!" Jamie yelled after an hour of running. "Where's my sister? What did the note say?"

"She's… they got her." My voice was cold, I had no more feelings. No more feeling in my entire body. I was numb.

"No…" I heard him whisper behind me. "She promised."

I couldn't answer him. I didn't have a voice. The hatred for the centipedes grew to rage in my body. I would make sure they all pay for taking Melanie from me, from her brother.

We stole another jeep. I couldn't go back to the one I had when I drove around with Melanie in the passenger seat. I couldn't drive it without her brown hair flowing in the breeze, or the smile on her face from a successful raid. I couldn't drive it with the coldness I felt in my chest now.

We drove in silence. I glanced at Jamie out of the corner of my eye. His angered face mirrored mine. It was strange seeing it on his childlike features. The hatred look he now wore made him look years older.

I wasn't one hundred percent sure of where we were going, and I didn't care. Melanie wasn't going to be there. But I had to try and keep us safe. She would have wanted it, she would have begged me to keep Jamie safe. I would do that for her. I would do anything for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the great reviews! Again, I know some things are different, but I can't go and ask Stephenie Meyer what Jared did throughout the book when Melanie wasn't there. So I am sticking to the book as much as I can, but as I said before, some of it has to come to from my head. If you see a major difference from the book to what I am writing, than feel free to PM me and let me know, but as far as small things, well, I can't make it perfect. I'm not Stephenie ;). **

**Again, thank you for reading, and I'm having so much fun writing this! **

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I pulled the jeep over, and Jamie stared at me. I glanced over at him, taking a deep breath. "We have to go back and look for Sharon."

Jamie nodded once, his features turned determined.

I spun the jeep around and we headed back to the very last spot Melanie ever stepped foot. I didn't want to go back, but I had to find Sharon. I had to do it for Melanie. I couldn't leave her mission undone.

I parked the jeep a few blocks from the building and we slipped inside, unseen by anyone. Everyone should be sleeping by now.

We searched every room in the abandoned building, and finally decided to look in the basement before we gave up all hope and shrugged it off. If she's not here, then they found both Sharon and Melanie.

With Jamie behind me, I led the way into the basement. The shiny sword flashed in front of my face, then pressed against my stomach.

"One more step and this is going to be a part of the body you wear." The older female threatened.

"Aunt Maggie?" Jamie whispered behind me.

"You ain't foolin' me boy!" She yelled swinging the sward around me, towards him.

"Hey!" I yelled shoving her away from him.

"Don't touch me you freak!" She yelled, pressing the sward to my stomach again.

"Don't touch him."

"Aunt Maggie, it's really us." Jamie tried reassuring her.

My eyes scanned the room, and they fell on Sharon standing in the corner, her face just as angered as her mothers. I stepped towards her. "Sharon!"

"Hey!" Maggie yelled, she shoved against me, but I didn't move.

"Listen, Melanie came in search for you guys. She… she didn't make it."

"I don't need any of your pity stories. We're not falling for it!"

"You didn't see her?" Jamie asked, his voice had a hint of hope in it.

"No, she was never here. We don't know what your talkin' bout." She said quickly, but I saw the lie in her eyes.

"Listen, Aunt Maggie-"

"Stop calling me that! I aint your aunt you parasite!"

"Listen to him, Maggie," I pleaded. "We're human, just like you. Give me a light and I'll prove it."

Something slid across the floor from Sharon, and _thunked_ against Maggie's heel. She bent down, flipping on the flashlight.

The beam of white light flashed across my eyes, then behind me to Jamie. She swept over our faces once more and her shoulders relaxed, the sharp point of the sward leaving my stomach.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, smiling at Jamie and I. "You cant trust anyone these days."

Jamie and I shook our heads at the same time. We understood.

"I'm terribly sorry about Mel. She fought hard, but it wasn't enough." Maggie's head bowed. "We wanted to help her, but there were too many of them around. It would have only gotten us captured as well. There was nothing we could do."

I shook my head, waving my hands uselessly in the air. I didn't want to hear anymore. I didn't want Jamie to hear anymore. "We need to get out of here." I suggested.

"Were you with Mel?" Sharon asked from the backseat of the jeep. Jamie was asleep, snoring lightly behind me as I drove.

I glanced over my shoulder to see her eyes baring into me. "Yes, I am." I couldn't use the past tense. She will always be mine, and I will always be hers. There's no past tense when it comes to our relationship. Doesn't matter who they placed inside her body.

Sharon nodded and looked back out the window.

"Do you remember these lines?" I asked Maggie.

"My brother is one for his riddles, but I think we could figure it out." She sounded more confident than I felt.

It took us two days to find the caves, or for Jeb to find us.

We were on the verge of giving up, when three men stood in front of us, one holding a gun pointed at us, and one was an older man who Maggie and Sharon immediately went to. They easily proved to him that they were still them. Ian, the one holding the gun, dropped it and introduced himself and Kyle, his brother.

The three of them ushered us inside the cave. The opening looked too small for three grown men to live in. It looked just big enough for a coyote and her cubs to burrow in. I couldn't have been more wrong. The moment we slipped into the mouth of the cave the ceiling grew larger the deeper we walked. It also got darker, and I held tightly to Jamie's wrist with my left hand, and slid my right along the wall of the cave.

I was surprised to see more people waiting to greet us. They all stood in a large bright room, a garden.

"We are terribly sorry about my niece," Jeb patted my shoulder and ruffled Jamie's hair. "I don't think she'd make enough sense on the lines to give anyone the information. They will not piece it all together. If they do," he grunted and nodded to himself. "We'll take action." He said, nodding towards the gun in Ian's hands. "Welcome to my home, I am sorry, but living space is sort of sparse around here. I'm afraid you'll have to share."

I nodded, shrugging it off. "That's fine." Jamie and I have slept in worse conditions. I couldn't help but feel relieved to have him staying with me. And I could tell by the twitch of his lips, that he was just as relieved.

Getting used to where everything was in the caves was going to take me forever. Jamie had gotten the hang of it, but after he got lost on his way to the room with all the rivers. He had to go to the bathroom, but somehow ended up in Doc's hospital wing.

I was glad to see there was a man down here who was working hard to figure out how to get the parasites out of the human bodies. Gave me hope that one day I could go in search for Mel's body, and reclaim it.

Falling into a routine was quick and easy around here. I didn't speak to many people, I didn't find the need to speak to any of them. I would rather be out searching for Melanie, but I needed to keep Jamie safe. I knew he wouldn't stay here if I decided to leave. I didn't think I had it in me to leave him here.

"I think it's bout that time, boys." Jeb announced one morning. We knew what he was talking about.

Wes, Kyle, Ian, and I sighed, taking the last bite of our bread.

"When do you want us to leave?" I asked him. I liked going out on raids. It took my mind off missing Melanie. And since I was always the first to volunteer to go out, Jeb never hesitated to ask me.

"Tonight." He answered.

"Can I come this time?" Jamie asked. This was our fifth time going out on a raid since we arrived. The first couple times I went on a raid with this new group of humans, I made Jamie stay here. Sharon had thrown herself into teaching the three kids in the caves, so I made Jamie stay. He's only been on one since we got here.

This time around, I smiled, knowing it's what he wanted. His birthday was this week, so I figured it best to give the kid what he wanted. He's been through enough the last month.

"Go get yourself cleaned up and we'll meet you in the big room." I didn't even finish my sentence before Jamie was off running through the caves.

We were gone for two weeks this time. I liked the longer raids. We got more stuff, and it was more I had to concentrate on.

"Hey, Jamie!" I called through the empty house. I held the ball I had in my hands, behind my back.

"Yeah?" He asked with his mouth full, wondering in the living room, where I was standing, from the kitchen.

"Happy Birthday, kid." I said tossing him the soccer ball.

"Really?" He asked, his eyes wide. "I can have it?"

"I gave it to you, didn't I?"

For the first time since we arrived at the caves, his smile spread across his face. "Thank you, Jared!" He eyed the ball, and just as I suspected, his smile didn't last long. He dropped the ball, kicking it lazily.

I knew who he was missing, but I didn't want to bring it up, not today; not his birthday.

"You think we could play when we get back?" Jamie asked, picking up the soccer ball and tucking it under his arm.

"Sure, there's that one empty room we always play games in. It'll be fun. Been a while since we've played with an actual soccer ball." Ian slapped the ball out from Jamie's arm and ran out of the house with it. Jamie followed, his laughter warming my cold heart.

He deserved a few minutes of having his old self back. I was glad to see it.

They played quietly in the dark yard, and I worked with Kyle and Wes in emptying the house of it's contents.

"Come play!" Jamie begged.

"Not tonight, Jamie, we have to move on." I stood by the back door of the too full van and helped Jamie climb over the boxes of food.

Soon after we pulled away I heard him snoring, his head resting on his new ball. It made me feel better knowing I was able to make this day as exciting as I possibly could, under the current circumstances.

As soon as we got back to the caves, Jamie was off running to find whoever he could to tell them about his new toy.

"Uncle Jeb, can we play?" I heard his voice echoing off the cave walls.

"Finish unloading, and we'll get everyone together for a welcome home game."

"Okay!" He cheered. I heard Freedom ask if him and his brother could play with the ball while Jamie unloaded. It still amazed me to see normal kids running around. Gave me hope for our kind.

I figured he said yes, since he ran back towards me empty handed.

All of us got the truck unloaded in record time. We were all tense and wanted to play the game.

I prepared to sit this game out. I wasn't sure how I would handle playing a game Melanie, Jamie, and I used to play all the time. The memory ripped at my insides, hearing Jamie's laughter, listening to Melanie cheering when she scored. The way she spun in a circle towards me, preparing to throw it in my face that she got the ball past me. Little did she know I always let her get the goal. I smiled at the memory, letting Jamie's current laughter bring me back to the present.

"Come on, Jared! Come play! I want you on my team."

I took a deep breath before I got up. "Sure, kid." I said, letting the air out of my lungs.

Every single person in the caves came to play. Quickly, I found myself loosening up. The more I watched Jamie turn into his old self, the more relaxed I became. Soon enough we were both laughing as we ran down the room, kicking the ball back and forth to each other. The laughter felt off, I didn't like it, but I kept the smile on my face for Jamie. I'd let the tears fall later when he was asleep, just like every single night since I said goodbye to Melanie.


	4. Chapter 4

"Jared?" Someone called my name from behind me. I didn't have the strength to turn and see who it was. I didn't care. I was rare for someone to talk to me directly. I never made eye contact long enough for someone to _want_ to have a conversation with me. The only real person I would ever hold a conversation with was Jamie. Sometimes I would talk to Jeb, but not often.

"Anyone home?" The voice giggled and someone poked the back of my head. The bottle of water popped in my hand.

Sharon sat down, the corners of her lips pulled down in a frown. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up. That was harsh."

I looked back down at my half empty tray of soup and bread, shrugging. " 'S okay" I mumbled incoherently.

"You look so miserable. We've all been in the same place as you are. You have to-"

I stood up, leaning over her, my hands came down hard on the table she was leaning against. "Do _not_ tell me to move on!" I spit out through clenched teeth.

I watched her tremble with fear under me. Normally I would have felt bad for scaring her, but I didn't.

I turned around and stormed out to shut myself in my room. I would have made it if I didn't run into Jeb in the big room.

"Ah, Jared, just the muscle I need. We're turning the soil today, and I need those arms." He had a shovel in his hand and shoved it against my chest.

I rolled my eyes, but grabbed the shovel and made my way towards the others.

"We think it's one of them searching for something. It cant be looking for us, none of us know the body." I overheard Ian talking to Wes. I followed behind listening to the conversation as they turned the soil. "I've never seen her before, Kyle is watching it now, we're waiting to see if more are coming. Jeb said to give it another day and we'd get a closer look. It won't make it much longer."

I shook my head, the blood in my veins boiling. I wish there was a way to sit, hidden, all day and kill anyone of the parasites that walked by. Either way it was suffering out in the heat, so I felt better thinking about how hot it was, and that they have no sense of survival outside their perfect world.

I met Jamie in the river room, his face crinkled in pain. I was going to ask him what was wrong, but his hands were held out in front of him, red and throbbing. I nodded to myself. He was cleaning clothes today.

I took the soap out of his hands and stood in line with the others.

The hard, lumpy mattress felt good as I laid down. Jamie was silent as I settled in for the night. I stared up at the ceiling, waiting for the pain to start, waiting for the tears to spill over.

"Jared?" Jamie whispered into the darkness.

"Hmm?" I muttered, not trusting my voice.

"What do you think Mel-" he cut off, taking a few deep breaths. "Do you think she's happy wherever she is?"

"She's dead, Jamie."

"I know, but do you think she's suffering?"

I rolled away from him, trying to control the lump in my throat. "Go to sleep." I demanded. I didn't know the answer to give it to him anyway. I was glad when he didn't ask me anymore questions.

The next morning I was up early and decided to get a head start on the garden. I liked working alone. I preferred it.

I passed Kyle, Wes, Ian, Jeb, Brant and Maggie as they rushed towards the entrance of the caves.

"What's going on?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I should get Jamie and run for it.

"Nothing, Jared, carry on." Jeb said, holding his canteen close to him. He turned and hurried away.

I looked around the big room. The sun was just rising, casting light through the room, it was way too early for them to start working.

Sharon hurried from the entrance cave and I caught her arm as she ran by me. She gasped, starring at me, then my hand tightly around her arm.

"What's going on out there?"

"I'm sorry," her eyes were sincere, but she pulled her arm free and hurried towards Doc.

"For what?" I called after her, but she didn't answer me.

I stood silent as the group formed around me. They were buzzing with gossip.

"I heard it's one of them!" Someone hissed from behind me.

"Are they bringing it to Doc?" Someone else whispered.

"I think so, there's no other reason for it to be down here."

"I heard the body belongs to…" the voice trailed off and I turned towards whoever spoke.

"Who?" I asked, my heart jumped into my throat. It was choking off my air supply.

I spun towards the sound of footsteps coming down the entrance cave.

"You can straighten up now." I heard Jeb say.

"How could he bring it through the main entrance! It will recognize the way out and expose us all!" People were arguing at each other behind me, but my heart was pounding too loud in my ears to listen anymore.

I should have recognized the dark hair, but it was much shorter than Melanie has ever had it.

I peered around shoulders, and the face of my Melanie was there in front of me. My stomach turned when I saw someone else's eyes peering through hers, searching the crowd in front of it. I would have thrown up if I had something in my stomach. Why did Jeb bring it back here? Why did he want to hurt me so much? I was suddenly glad Jamie was still asleep. This would kill him more than it's killing me. I made sure to keep my face controlled, the hate I felt for the creature that took over her body was enough to keep me from crumbling.

As always, the body came in search for us. They got into Melanie's memory and found us. Why couldn't it just let me live the rest of my life believing Melanie was dead? That her body and mind was gone forever. Why did it have to find me?

My fists balled up as I stepped through the crowd. I would kill it before it got to Jamie. I would step in before it got the chance to hurt him.

Melanie's body was standing in front of me, but I had to look passed that. I had to see that it wasn't her. It was easy to think that when I looked into the stranger's eyes. The strange silvery tint to her eyes didn't match the hazel eyes I always stared into. The eyes now made her look all wrong. Although, those eyes seemed to recognize me, making my stomach turn again.

It jerked forward, uncoordinated with Melanie's limbs. "Jared," It cried out to me with Melanie's voice. The sound of her voice, crying out for me broke my heart even more than it was already. But I stayed focused on the alien eyes. It wasn't going to fool me. My arm shot out and I hit the face that once belonged to the woman I loved. It killed me inside to raise my hand to a face I once worshipped, but it wasn't Melanie. It deserved it. The parasite fell to the ground, I had the satisfaction of watching it be in pain. It deserved to feel all the pain I have felt. It took Melanie away from me.

Everyone in the room disappeared, my sight focused only on the now stranger in front of me. I wanted nothing more than to kill the alien inside. My feet were moving before I could made sense of what I was going to do.

Jeb stood over the body, his hand outstretched as if he was going to help her. My teeth ground together as I stared at him. I had no words to describe the pain I felt. I wanted to strangle Jeb along with the parasite he dragged in here. I kept my jaw locked, holding back the rage that was boiling through me. I wasn't sure if I wanted to fall to my knees and cry for Melanie; If I wanted to crouch over the creature fighting to stay conscious, and kill it before it could do anymore damage; Or whether I wanted to lunge at Jeb before I took the creature out.

The look in Jeb's eyes was hopeful. For some odd reason I knew he was seeing Melanie and not the creature that invaded her body. It was his own blood laying on the floor between us. Of course he was going to try and protect it. But I knew Melanie better than him. It wasn't her anymore.

I watched with utter disgust as Jeb reached for the hand I once loved to hold, and helped it to it's feet. It hurt me to see the marks I left when I hit the most beautiful face I've ever known, but I had to realize that the face was no longer mine to love. I still couldn't keep my eyes from Melanie's face. How many times I wished to see it one more time. The endless nights I spent dreaming of holding that body in my arms one more night.

I could feel Doc moving around me, but I was planted in my spot. I couldn't move; I couldn't make myself move.

"Okay, okay, I'm here. What have we got?" Doc asked.

Maggie answered him, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. The thought sunk in as I stared at the now stranger in front of me. Doc was going to experiment on it. He was going to try, but fail, just like always. Could I handle knowing he was cutting up Melanie's body? As much as I wanted the alien out of her head, could I deal with watching her body being mangled? I couldn't. She didn't deserve that. If anything, Jeb should shoot it and kill it cleanly. The parasite didn't deserve to die that cleanly, but Melanie's body did.

"It's okay," Doc's voice suddenly ripped me from my thoughts. "I won't hurt you."

Instinctively I wanted to lunge at him, knock him away from her. He was lying. He was assessing her in order to see if she was healthy enough to operate. My mouth went dry, and my arms started to shake with the urge to grab her and run. My heart was pulling me forward, but my brain was screaming at me to let it go. It wasn't Melanie. I couldn't help repeating the words in my head. But my brain fought with itself; half of it forced the silver eyes showing me it wasn't the woman I loved. The other part couldn't look past the fact that it was her body standing in front of me. That part of my brain avoided the eyes. The only evidence.

I could feel the tears hot in my eyes as I watched Doc asses her wounds-the wounds I put on her face.

Her head turned slightly and I caught a glimpse of the pink scar on the back of her neck. My head spun with too many emotions. I couldn't grasp onto one of them. The homemade scar on the back of my neck suddenly felt hot. The memory of Melanie being frightened of the scar the first night we met. She now wore one- a real one.

Before I realized what was going on, Doc had already made his decision. "Let's get started." He said, the motion of his hands setting my body into panic. I couldn't let this go on. I couldn't say goodbye to Melanie. I couldn't let Doc take that body and use it for his experiments.

My shoulders relaxed when Doc held his hand out for it, and it hid Melanie's hands behind her back.

"Kyle, Ian?" Doc turned towards them. He was going to have them force her to her death-to the body's death. I didn't care about what was inside.

My breathing came in quick small spurts as I watched Kyle and Ian close in on it.

Doc continued his planning. "I think I need some help. Maybe if you were to carry-"

I couldn't hold it back anymore. "No." The word left my mouth before I could stop myself. What was I doing to myself? I couldn't protect her. Melanie wasn't here for me to protect. But I couldn't just hand the body over without a second glance. I didn't have it in me.

"Jared?" Doc looked at me, surprised. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes," I said flatly. I hid all emotions from my voice.

No one spoke, but I could feel their eyes on me.

"And it is?" Doc asked.

I peeled my eyes off Melanie's body and glared at Doc. I clenched my teeth together, trying to control the rage inside me. Whether that rage was for the parasite for bringing Melanie's body here, or to Doc for even thinking about cutting it open. The words came before I could think about them. "I'll tell you the problem, Doc. What's the difference between letting you have it or Jeb putting a bullet in its head?" I would rather the second choice.

"Well" was all he could say.

I exploded before he could think of an answer. "The difference is, if Jeb kills it, at least it dies cleanly." That's all I could ask for right now. For the body to be put to rest cleanly. The pain of seeing Jamie's face if he was to walk in on Doc cutting up his sister. I just couldn't.

"Jared." Doc said softly. Was he really going to try and persuade me? "We learn so much each time. Maybe this will be the time -" Was he serious?

"Hah!" I snorted, the panic taking over. "I don't see much progress being made, Doc." It was true. How many bodies have we brought him and he's failed each time. Not even coming close.

Sharon stepped around Doc. I laughed inwardly. Was she going to try, too? Her own cousin's body, and she wanted to dismantle it. "There's no point in wasting an opportunity." She said, her voice almost as angered as I felt. "We all realize that this is hard for you, Jared, but in the end it's not your decision to make. We have to consider what's best for the majority."

She was dead wrong. I wasn't necessarily thinking of myself. There was Jamie, and the respect for a body I love more than she could ever know. My fingers curled at my sides as I glared at her. I was imaging my hands around her neck. "No." I said, my tone final. That was my decision, and apparently I was sticking to it. That body belongs to me more than it now belonged to the creature inside it.

"Stand back, and let Doc do his job." Ian growled.

"No!" I yelled, the fury taking over.

"You're not seeing the bigger picture!" Kyle yelled. "Melanie is dead, she's not coming back. That body is not for you to _protect_! Forget about her."

"_Don't you dare talk about her like that!_" I yelled, my throat burned as I screamed.

"There's no one to talk about!" Ian stood up for his brother.

"All right, boys." Jeb said, pointing his gun in our direction. I wish he would pull the trigger. I needed to be put out of my misery.

Out of the corner of my eye I watched Melanie's body slump to the ground.

"Jamie?" My jaw clenched, the fire burning me again. How dare it talk about him. It didn't know Jamie. Why would it look so worried?

"The kid is fine. Jared brought him here." Jeb answered it.

I lunged towards it, about to tell it to leave him alone, but it's eyes bared into mine.

"Thank you," it whispered. The relief in it's voice confused me. The silver eyes closed, and she was unconscious.

"What do you want to do then?" Jeb asked, lifting Melanie's hand, letting it fall limply beside her.

"Why are you asking me?" I demanded.

"You don't want Doc to operate, so what do you want to do?"

"I can't make this decision right now!" I yelled, shoving my way roughly through the crowd of people. I needed time to think.

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**Okay, yes, I know that Jared is the one that sit's outside Wanderer's "prison". But remember, she's unconscious right now. So we have no idea what happened between now and the time she wakes up in the small hole. I'm actually following the book as I write, so I'm sticking right with it. ;) But obviously when she's not there, or asleep, or even knocked out, I have to put in what I think happened. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to all of your reviews!**


	5. Chapter 5

I stood outside the opening to mine and Jamie's room. I watched him sleep soundlessly. The tears spilled over, running down my cheeks. I couldn't let it hurt him. I could see the pain in his eyes if he were to find out his sister's body came in search of us. He's already lived the pain of having his own father leading the aliens to him and Melanie. I couldn't let it happen again. Even more so now because the body that came in search for him was the one that raised him; That promised him she wouldn't ever leave him.

"Their getting restless, Jared." Jeb's voice caused me to jump. I wiped my eyes dry before I turned around to face him.

I gasped when she was unconscious still, cradled in his arms. "_Get it out of here!_" I hissed, shutting the doors to my room, blocking Jamie's view if he were to wake up.

"And where am I supposed to put her? In my pocket?"

"I don't care, just get it away from Jamie."

"Doc's room?" Jeb asked, the humor there in his voice. He was testing me, and I was close to failing.

"No!" I yelled. "Take her back outside. Leave the body to die of natural causes or something. Just keep it away from this room."

"You know we can't let it out now, Jared, she'll probably just find someone and tell them we're all living down here. She's got to stay here until you decide her fate."

"I decide? I don't care what you do with it!"

"You don't care what I do with it, but you just don't want Doc experimenting on her."

I shook my head and went to tell him, even though it's complicated, he was right. But Jamie stirred in our room.

"Jared?" Jamie groaned behind the doors.

I shoved Jeb, careful not to touch it. I wasn't sure what kind of emotion that would set off. "Let's go!" Jeb followed me as I half ran away from Jamie.

I brainstormed where we could keep it. Jeb was right, we couldn't let it loose. The only other part of the cave that no one would go searching is where we store the food from the raids. It was perfect; pitch black, away from everyone else, and it would never even think of the exit being right in front of it. I picked up my pace as I headed in the direction I decided.

"I was thinking the same thing." Jeb said, hidden in the darkness behind me.

I felt along the wall and Jeb flicked on a flashlight just as my hand found the small opening I was looking for. "Put it in there for now."

"That small space?"

"Don't ask questions, Jeb, just do it!" I snapped.

He didn't speak as he lowered the unconscious body into the hole. I waited impatiently as he positioned her as comfortable as she could be in the confined space.

"Go, don't let anyone know she's down here. And please, Jeb, I'm begging you, keep this from Jamie. If he asks where I am… tell him… tell him I went out on a raid. I don't want him coming to look for me. You warn everyone out there that they need to keep their mouths shut around him."

Jeb nodded, agreeing with me. I was relieved at that.

"You going to sit guard? That's it?" Jeb asked me.

I shrugged, "That's all I can do for now."

"Alright, kid, I'll see ya." He hurried away, only to come back a few minutes later with a lantern. "Jamie is awake. He was told you were out on a short raid. He's quite mad you didn't say goodbye to him." Jeb winked and walked away. "I'll bring both of you food when dinner is served. Hopefully you didn't knock it out completely." He called over his shoulder.

I growled deeply, moving to pace in front of the small hole. Her deep even breathing echoed in the small space she was in. I could hear her whimpering and shuddering as she slept. Good, it was scared. I could also hear that it was hungry; my own stomach gurgled.

It shifted as it slept and I peered down at the hole. I took the light and shone in through the opening. The light lit up her features of her face. As beautiful as always, but no longer mine.

"Aw, Mel, why?" I asked, letting a sob escape. "I wish you could hear me, I wish this was really you in front of me. Please, Mel, please tell me how I'm supposed to let you go now? I don't know what to do! You know me well enough to know how much I despise that thing controlling your body. I wish I could take it out with my own hands." I let my eyes drift to the ceiling of the cave. "Please, tell me what you want me to do. Give me some sort of sign."

I quickly wiped the tears away when I heard footsteps walking towards me. I stood in front of the hole, but relaxed when Jeb rounded the corner with two trays in his hands.

"Anyone follow you?" I asked coldly, making sure to keep my face in the shadows from the light.

"No, no one saw me come this way."

I took both trays from him.

He leaned forward peering into the hole. "Any change?"

I shook my head, biting into the bread.

Jeb turned silently and walked away. "I know you'll make the right decision." Jeb said just as he walked out of sight.

I bit into the bread angrily. Easy for him to say.

I was finished with my food long before I heard it's breathing speed up. It was awake, but trying to fool me. I sat frozen as I listened to her breathing falter as she fought to keep it deep and even.

I took her tray and slid it through the opening.

She shrieked, jumping away from me. I stared into the reflection of it's eyes from the light behind me. Reminding me just how much I despised this creature.

I looked passed the horror-struck face, and pushed the tray closer to it. She eyed the food I offered, and lunged for the bottle of water. I watched in disgust as she brought it to Melanie's lips and drank. It sickened me watching her use her limps to keep itself healthy. I wanted to rip the bottle of water out of it's hands. It didn't deserve it… but Melanie's body did. While she drank, I slipped out of the opening and sat as I listened at it feed Melanie's body.

The shriek echoed in my ears, bringing me back to the first night we met. The scream she let loose when she felt the scar on the back of my neck. It matched the scream that came from the alien lips.

The rattling of the tray lessoned and I could see that it was empty. I reached in, careful not to look up at it, and retrieved the empty tray.

"Thank you," It whispered. The voice raising goosebumps on my arms and neck. I turned around, ignoring the voice I wanted to listen to more.

She was quiet for the remainder of the night. I couldn't tell whether she was sleeping again or not. I closed my eyes tight when I heard her shifting in the small space. Her feet slid slowly to the opening of the cave. My heart skipped a beat. Was it trying to escape? Did it think I left? No. She was just repositioning herself.

Closed my eyes when they got too heavy for me to keep open.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Thank you for all the great reviews! I just wanted to announce that I am looking for two moderators for my host fansite's forum! If you're interested you can check out my site for more information. The link is on my profile.**

**Enjoy that chapter! **

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I heard the footsteps coming towards me, but I stayed slumped against the wall. It was probably just Jeb. No one else knew I was down here.

As soon as he rounded the corner, I rose to my feet. It wasn't Jeb.

"Ah, there you are." Kyle said. He was flanked by Brandt and Ian.

I stood my ground. Suddenly protective over the body inside the hole.

"We're not going to allow this, Jared." Ian warned.

I said nothing. The rage building inside me. There was no way they were having Melanie's body for their experiments. I would make sure of that.

Ian continued, "We've all lost somebody - hell, we've all lost everybody. But this is ridiculous."

"If you wont let Doc have it, then it's going to die." Kyle growled.

"You can't keep it prisoner here. Eventually, it will escape and we'll all be exposed." Ian was right, but I still had to protect the body. I would have it killed before Doc got his hands on her.

I stepped directly in front of the hole, letting them know I was standing strong on my decision. They weren't getting past me.

"Don't make this difficult, Jared." Brandt said. "It has to be done."

I narrowed my eyes at him. A warning, daring him to take a step in my direction.

"We don't want to hurt you, Jared. We're all brothers here. But we will if you make us. Move aside." Kyle demanded.

I clenched my hands into tight fists. All three of them glanced down at my hands.

Kyle balled his own hands into fists and stepped towards me.

"Jared… please." Ian stepped up beside his brother.

Brandt won my attention when he walked around them and stalked towards me from my right. I saw Kyle slip to my left and I turned, lunging at him. He threw his hands out to stop my attack to his face, but I shoved my fist into his stomach. He immediately hunched over, coughing for the air I forced out.

"No!" Melanie's voice called out frantically. I spun towards the cave at once, searching for where Ian and Brandt were; Making sure they weren't hurting her. It wasn't them. They were both standing behind Kyle, starring at her.

She flew out of the hole, and threw herself between Kyle and I. Her back towards me. I stared down at her with wide-eyes.

Kyle moved quickly, shoving her out of the way. She staggered backwards, and I reached for her without thinking. I didn't see the alien falling to the ground. I saw Melanie. I wrenched her back to her feet and pushed her towards the hole. Why was it trying to protect me? That was only a move Melanie would have made. A stupid move, but that was her.

I kept my face set as I pointed to the hole. "Get back in there!" I demanded, shoving her shoulders lightly towards the hole. I wasn't sure if I wanted her back in there to make sure she wasn't going to try to escape, or because I didn't want her in any kind of danger.

Again, just as Melanie would have done. It disobeyed me, stepping towards Kyle, Ian, and Brandt again.

"I'm what you want," she said, standing up to Kyle. "Leave him alone."

I stared at her back, not able to process why a complete stranger would try and protect me. I could understand if it was Melanie standing in front of me, but it wasn't her. She was gone… she was gone.

"Tricky bugger," Ian said. Causing me to jump slightly. No one noticed. They were all focused on her.

I couldn't deal with this on top of everything else. I was trying to get used to the fact that I wanted Jeb to shoot it. Did it have to make my decision harder? Did it have to act like Melanie? I needed to get things straight. I couldn't do it with her standing in front of me. "I said get back in there." I hissed, not able to yell. My voice was lost along with my train of thought.

She turned slightly and I expected her to go back to the hole, but she spoke to me instead. "It's not your duty to protect me at your own expense." She told me.

Great. What else was it going to throw at me? My lips twitched, wanting to warn it that it's lies weren't going to work on me. I needed to be stronger. Of course the alien would know how Melanie reacted if I was in danger. She's got her memory.

My hand shot out towards her, ready to shove her back towards the hole.

She was quicker. I watched as she skipped away from my hand, placing herself directly in front of Ian.

My eyes locked on Melanie's pained face as Ian held her arms behind her back.

"Get your hands off her!" I shouted without thinking the words. I flew towards Ian, but I was stopped by Kyle and Brandt.

Kyle was only slightly stronger than me, but I was quicker. I had more experience with fighting than he did.

Brandt grabbed my free arm, keeping me from using it to break free from Kyle's grasp.

"Don't hurt him!" It pleaded.

Brandt was slightly distracted by the pleading alien. I got my arm free from him and elbowed Kyle. Just as I knew, Kyle lost his grip on me. I spun back towards him and punched him as hard as I could in his nose. I had the satisfaction of feeling it break under my fist.

Through his pain, he yelled, "Finish it, Ian!" He then ducked his head and rammed into me, knocking me into Brandt.

"No!" I yelled at the same time it did. I couldn't get to her in time. Ian already has his hands around her throat.

I struggled against Kyle and Brandt's hold that they had on me, but I wasn't going to break free. This wasn't the death I wanted Melanie's body to have. It didn't deserve something so violent. I wasn't planning on watching it die either.

Click, click.

I looked up to see Jeb standing with his gun raised.

"Kyle, Ian, Brandt - back off!" Jed demanded, pointing the gun to each of them as he spoke.

I took advantage of Kyle and Brandt being distracted. I knew Jed wasn't pointing the gun at me. I ducked under Kyle's arm and lunged towards Ian. The parasite gasped when it saw me flying towards them. Her eyes shut when my fist rammed into Ian's face.

Just how much was this thing going to mess with my head? I wish I could scream the words at her, but talking to it wasn't going to help me. I stepped away from it, glowering at it to let it know I wasn't happy it was here. I would have rather it went on living it's perfect life without ever coming to look for us. It would have been better that way.

Jed argued with Brandt, Kyle, and Ian, but I was too wrapped up in wishing Melanie's body had never found me to hear what they were saying. They could have been planning a better death for it for all I cared.

The words that brought me back into the conversation were spoken from Jeb. "It's Jared's decision."

I stared, eyes gaping, at Jeb. I almost wanted him to repeat his words to make sure I had heard him right.

Of course it was going to be my decision. Anything else to make my life more miserable than it already is. And it's all thanks to that damn parasite! I suddenly realized just how much I despised the being in front of me.

"Jared?" Kyle asked Jeb. "That makes no sense!" He was so mad that he was not able to get the words out clearly. "He's more biased than anyone else! Why? How can he be rational about this?"

As much as I hated to admit it, Kyle was right. As much as I wanted the parasite dead. I couldn't be responsible for killing the body. I couldn't do it.

"Jeb, I don't…" I muttered. I couldn't finish my sentence. I didn't even know what it was I wanted to say.

Jeb looked me in the eye. "She's your responsibility, Jared." Jeb told me. "I'll help you out, of course, if there's any more trouble like this, and with keeping track of her and all that. But when it comes to making decisions, that's all yours." My jaw clenched and unclenched holding back the anger and tears. Kyle opened his mouth to protest, but he was stopped by Jeb. "Look at it this way, Kyle. If somebody found your Jodi on a raid and brought her back here, would you want me or Doc or a vote deciding what we did with her?"

Kyle's eyes narrowed as he glared at Jeb. His hands balling into fists again. "Jodi is dead." He hissed. He then turned and glared in the direction of the parasite. I didn't blame him. I felt the same way. Melanie was dead, but I couldn't grasp that truth with her body standing in front of me.

Jeb seemed to know what I was feeling. "Well, if her body wandered in here, it would still be up to you. Would you want it any other way?"

Kyle seemed to refuse to think about it. He was only placing the current situation. He was only thinking of the alien in front of us now. "The majority -"

"My house, my rules." Jeb cut him off. "No more discussion on this. No more votes. No more execution attempts. You three spread the word - this is how it works from now on. New rule."

"Another one?" Ian muttered.

I wasn't sure if I was grateful for the new rule or entirely pissed. I knew I was aggravated at the fact that I was now responsible for a damn alien, but I was also relieved that Jeb wasn't going to let them get their hands on the body.

The conversation they were having seemed far away. I couldn't focus on them anymore. My head was spinning with too much emotion.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the amazing reviews! You guys are awesome! And a huge thanks for those of you who has checked out my Host site! **

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Once Kyle, Ian, and Brandt were gone, Jeb's words finally sunk in. That alien's life now rested in the palm of my hand. This wasn't fair. I wanted the alien dead, but the body alive. There was no way I could make this decision.

I looked at Jed, pleading with him. I would have dropped to my knees if the alien wasn't watching us. I couldn't show weakness in front of it. "Please don't put this on me, Jeb," I begged. "Kyle is right about one thing - I _can't _make a rational decision." It was true.

"No one said you had to decide this second. She's not going anywhere." Jeb glanced down at it and winked. I narrowed my eyes and fought back the growl. Why was he so amused by all this? Did he know something I didn't? "Not after all the trouble she took to get here. You've got plenty of time to think it through."

I shook my head. "There's nothing to think through. Melanie _is_ dead." She was and I had to believe that, no matter how much I saw her reactions just a few minutes ago. I couldn't let it get inside my head. "But I can't - I can't - Jeb, I can't just…" I couldn't turn my back on that body. I couldn't think of ordering Jeb to kill it. Everything I was belonged to that body. I knew it was another being standing there, but the reaction to protect me was not something I was prepared to witness. Her need to protect me meant that Melanie's emotions were still clearly present. How could I tell him to kill her?

Jeb seemed to understand the internal debate I was having. His eyes were sincere when he spoke. "Don't think about it, then. Maybe you'll figure something out later. Give it some time."

I could take time. That's exactly what I needed, but was that the right thing? "What are we going to _do_ with it? We can't keep watch on it round the clock." I had Jamie to worry about.

Jeb shook his head. "That's _exactly_ what we're going to have to do for a while. Things will calm down. Even Kyle can't preserve a murderous rage for more than a few weeks."

"A few_ weeks_?" Was he insane? We needed food, I needed to protect Jamie. "We can't afford to play guard down here for a few _weeks_. We have other things -"

"I know, I know." Jeb sighed. "I'll figure something out."

We had more to figure out. "And that's only half the problem." I turned to glare at it, making it clear how much I despised it. "Where do we keep it? It's not like we have a cell block."

Jeb looked past me, at it. He smiled warmly. "You're not going to give us any trouble, now, are you?"

Did he have to speak so nice to it? It didn't deserve it! "Jeb," I muttered, annoyed.

He looked back up at me. "Oh, don't worry about her. First of all, we'll keep an eye on her. Secondly, she'd never be able to find her way out of here - she'd wonder around lost until she ran into somebody. Which leads us to number three: she's not that stupid." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not going to look for Kyle or the rest of them, are you? I don't think any of them are very fond of you." It wasn't a threat, but a warning. He didn't _want_ her to end up wondering off on her own.

I clenched my teeth together. He was making her seem… human. "I wish you wouldn't talk to it like that." I muttered. It wasn't helping the fact that I had to look past the body and only see the alien.

"I was raised in a politer time, kid. I can't help myself." Jeb patted my arm lightly. I was, too, but the times have changed. "Look, you've had a full night. Let me take the next watch here. Get some sleep."

I didn't want to leave, but I wasn't sure if I didn't want to leave because I was worried Kyle was going to come back, or because I wanted to be close to the body. I turned to glance at it, letting it remind me how much I actually hated it.

"Whatever you want, Jeb." I sighed. "And… I don't -I won't accept responsibility for this thing." I controlled the tone of my voice before I continued. I had to try and get the responsibility off my hands. "Kill it if you think what's best." I was hoping he would decide for me.

I caught it flinch from the corner of my eye. It was scared, good. It should be! I could only imagine how scared Mel was when she knew she was caught. I hope it was drowning in it's own fear of not knowing it's fate.

I turned my back on it and hurried out of sight.

"Jared!" Jamie found me just as I walked into the kitchen. He dropped his bread and ran towards me. "Where did you go? Why didn't you tell me you were leaving? What did you bring back?"

I rustled his hair and turned him to walk back to his food. "I went on a… parasite raid. Leave Doc alone." I was only half lying. That's the best I could do.

"Oh, well that would make sense. I haven't seen him." Jamie said with his mouth full.

"Yeah, Doc should have it by now, right, Jared?" Kyle slapped my back as he walked past me. My hands balled into tight fists.

People walked in and out of the kitchen, starring at me. Some faces wore scowls, some smiled sincerely. I wasn't sure which expression cut into me deeper.

I kept my eye on Kyle, Ian, and Brant, huddled in the corner of the kitchen. They were planning something, but I knew Jeb had the gun. He would be able to defend himself if they tried anything.

"Hey, Jamie?" I asked, poking his side. I tried to make my voice sound normal. It wasn't working out the way I was hoping, but Jamie was too focused on his food to realize anything.

"Hmm?" He asked drinking the rest of the soup out of the bowl.

"Don't believe things that are going around. You know how people like to spread stories, and please stick close to me. I want you to stay away from those three." I nodded in Kyle, Ian, and Brandt's direction.

"Why?" Jamie asked, popping the last of his bread into his mouth.

"Don't ask me questions, just trust me, okay?" I knew he couldn't go against that plead. He always knew he could trust me.

Jamie nodded. "Sure thing."

"Thanks, kid." I said and stood up. "I'm going to wash up, be in the room and in bed by the time I get back."

"On my way there now." He said, yawning.

"That a boy." I patted his back and walked slowly out of the kitchen. I picked up my pace when I heard Jamie and Wes walking behind me. I knew Wes wouldn't tell him anything.

I took a little more time than I needed in the cool water. It was late and no one was coming in here. I stripped down and laid my wet clothes on the edge, and ducked under the water. I held my breath until I was dizzy. My head broke the surface as I gasped for air.

The room felt smaller, someone was in here. I reached for my shorts and pulled them on.

"It's got to die, bro." Kyle's voice was a fierce growl.

"Get the hell out of here." I snapped, water spraying off my lips.

"Not until you give it up!" Kyle's hands searched the darkness until they swept across my chest. His searching fingers became angry as they clawed at me.

"No!" I snarled, throwing my hands out in front of me and shoving him away.

"That's not Melanie. I don't know if you're hoping she came for you, but it's time to face the truth, Jared. Or are you just going to use the body?"

"Shut your damn mouth!" I roared, lunging in the direction of his voice. I collided with him, knocking him hard into the rock wall behind him.

"You going to protect an alien, but take your frustrations out on me? Real nice, why don't you give yourself in and you and Mel's body can live happily ever -" I punched him hard in his jaw, cutting off his sentence.

Kyle slumped to the ground and I leaned over him, grabbing two fists full of his shirt. "You _ever_ speak of Melanie like that again and it won't be your jaw I break next time. Stay away from it, stay away from me, and stay away from Jamie."

He couldn't answer me, his groans were answer enough.

I stood up, shoving him hard before I let go of his shirt. "I think it's _you_ that needs to visit Doc." I grumbled and walked out of the room.

I was still panting with rage when I walked into my room.

Jamie's eyes popped wide when he saw the look on my face. "Who got pummeled and why?"

I rolled my eyes. "Kyle, and I mean it, Jamie. Stay away from him."

Jamie nodded quickly. "I will."

"Lights out." I ordered, turning our lamp out and I collapsed onto the mattress.

"Sharon never showed up for school today." Jamie muttered, already half asleep. "Is she helping Doc?"

"Go to sleep, Jamie."

"Lucina had Isaiah and Freedom locked in their room. She made me stay with her and she took over some of the lesson today…" He trailed off as he yawned.

"Good night, Jamie."

"Wonder if I'll have school tomorrow."

"You will."

"You think? I don't know. Sharon seemed pretty distracted…"

"Jamie!"

"Night, Jared." He said quickly.


	8. Chapter 8

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I woke up later than I wanted to. The sun was bright in my room. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes with one hand and felt Jamie's side of the bed with the other. It was empty.

I was happy that Sharon had him occupied in school for the day. I needed him distracted so I could make this decision once and for all. I already knew my decision, though. I couldn't kill it. No matter if it was Melanie or not. Her reaction to protect me was too much like her to kill it. It felt as if I was killing Melanie, instead.

"Jeb still with it?" Sharon asked me as I walked into the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

I nodded as I rushed by her. My heels dug into the ground as I stopped short and spun back around to face her. "School?"

"No way, I can't concentrate! Plus Lucina wants the boys in her room. You know, out of view."

"Then where's…" I trailed off as I walked steadily towards the tunnel I prayed Jamie wasn't in.

"I last saw him working in the fields!" She called after me. I sighed, relieved, slowing my pace.

I rounded the corner and my heart fell out of my chest. "What the hell?" I shouted at them. Who told him she was here? How could he stand to be so close to it? Why didn't Jeb stop him! My eyes shot to Jeb, sitting against the wall. "Damn it, Jeb!" I roared. "We agreed not to-"

My eyes snapped to Jamie as he jumped to his feet, his angered face mirrored mine. "Jeb didn't bring me here. But _you_ should have."

Jeb got to his feet slowly, ready to stop anything from happening between Jamie and I. Like that would ever happen. I heard the gun that laid on his lap, fall to the floor. It slid in slow motion towards the parasite. The vision that flashed through my thoughts of her grabbing the gun and shooting the three of us, was enough to have me diving for the gun.

I scooped it up and shoved it back into Jeb's hands. "Are you trying to get us killed?" I made sure to stand between Jamie and the alien.

"Calm down, Jared." Jeb told me. "She wouldn't touch this thing if I left it down here alone with her all night. Can't you see that?" He jabbed the barrel of the gun towards her and I watched her cringe away from the gun. It really did terrify her. But I couldn't tell if she was afraid of the gun, or what it could do to her as soon as I gave the word. "She's no Seeker, this one." Jeb continued.

I shook my head, annoyed. "Shut up, Jeb, just shut up!"

"Leave him alone." Jamie shouted. He shouted at me. "He didn't do anything wrong."

"You!" I shouted back at him. This was something that's never been done before. I didn't like raising my voice at him, but I also didn't like him raising his voice at me. "You get out of here _now_, or so _help_ me!" I would drag him out of here by his feet if I had to. There was no reason for him to put himself through this heartache. The only thing is… he didn't look like he was hurting as much as I am.

I looked down to see Jamie ball his hands into tight fists. So it was going to be this way. Okay.

I balled my hands into fists too. He could throw punches at me, that was fine. But he needed to get out of here. I've never hit him, and I wasn't planning on it now, but I wanted to at least try and scare him to think I wasn't bluffing.

I could hear Jamie's teeth clench together and he spoke through them. "You shouldn't have tried to keep this a secret from me, and you shouldn't have hurt her." He pointed to her face and I knew what he was pointing at without following his motion. He shouldn't be protecting her like this.

I spit on the floor, trying to get out the urge to lunge at Jamie and drag him out of this place. We could run… I could take him far away from it. It would never be able to find us. No, I couldn't take him out of the caves. There's no where else to go. I couldn't run from my problems. I had to help him understand. "That's not Melanie. She's never coming back, Jamie."

"That's her face," Jamie reminded me. "And her neck. Don't the bruises there _bother _you?"

I dropped my hands, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. They did bother me, but they only bothered me to _see_ the marks on Melanie's body. They didn't bother me that they belonged to the parasite controlling her body. Jamie wasn't seeing the difference. He was seeing Melanie. I didn't think any more of me could crumble in pain, but seeing Jamie stand up for it ripped me apart. "You will either leave right now, Jamie, and give me some space, or I will _make_ you leave." My hands inched towards him, ready to drag him out by his teeth if I had to. "I am not bluffing. I can't deal with any more right now, okay? I'm at my limit. So can we please have this conversation later?" I opened my eyes, sincerely looking at the boy in front of me. He had to be hurting. Jamie met my eyes, his softened when he noticed mine did. He saw the pain I was in just as much as I could see the pain that he was in.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I'll go… but I'm not promising that I won't come back."

I understood his wanting to come back, but I couldn't deal with that. I could end it's life before he decided to come back, but then it would just cause him to hate me forever. He was involved now. "I can't think about that now. Go. Please."

Jamie shrugged and I watched him turn towards what used to be his sister; the woman who raised him. My heart ached for the kid.

As soon as Jamie was walking away I turned to Jeb. "You, too."

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I didn't want an audience, either. I needed to be alone with it.

Jed rolled his eyes. "I don't think you've had a long enough break, to be honest. I'll keep an eye on -"

"Go." I cut him off. He didn't do a whole lot by keeping an eye on her before. He let Jamie down here.

"Okay, sure." Jeb said and started to walk away.

I turned towards him. "Jeb?" I asked.

"Yeah?" He answered without turning.

I swallowed. "If I asked you to shook it right now, would you?" I don't know why I was hoping he would say no. That he wasn't planning on killing her… it.

"I'd have to. I follow my own rules. So don't ask me unless you really mean it."

Great. It was all up to me. Now I had to worry about hurting Jamie. It was easier when he didn't know.

I turned back towards it, but it already crept back into it's hole. I stood still for a moment. I wasn't sure what to do now. Did it actually talk to Jamie? Should I try and get it to talk to me? No. I didn't want to have a conversation with it yet. I knew I wasn't ready for hearing Melanie's voice spoken through a stranger. I couldn't.

The time went by slowly as I sat outside the hole. There was barely a ruffle of fabric that came from the blackness inside the hole. I almost stuck the light in there a few times just to make sure it was still there.

I heard someone approaching, and I silently got to my feet, ready to turn Jamie away again, but it was Jeb bringing food.

He bent down and placed the tray of food for it inside her hole.

"Thank you," she whispered. Goosebumps raised on my arms.

"You're welcome." He answered.

I grunted deeply, letting it be known that I didn't like the way he was being so kind to it. It wasn't human! Was I the only one, besides Kyle, Brandt, and Ian, who noticed this?

When I was finished eating, I sat silent against the wall. There were things I had to figure out.

First, I had to come to terms with the fact that I couldn't kill it. That was a definite. There was something about it that was different than the other parasites I have come across. I wasn't sure if that was just because I was paying too close attention to it, or if I was seeing only what I wanted. I refused to base my decision off of the fact that it was the body I loved. Of course I would protect that first, but Jeb was right. It wasn't apposing a threat to any of us. I just had my own heart to mend, and a teenage boy who believes the body here still belongs to his sister. I now had to place his feelings alongside mine. I was regretting having to talk to him about all of this. This wasn't going to be easy.


	9. Chapter 9

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I had my eyes closed and my head bent back, resting on the wall. I was imagining myself in a better place. Jamie, Melanie, and I were together. We were happy. It was a million times better than the time I was living in now. I was keeping Melanie's body prisoner.

Was it possible that she could still be in there somewhere? Could that be why she wants to protect me so bad? No, it couldn't be possible. I was officially losing my mind.

I stretched silently, opening my eyes to look around the dimly lit area. It was quiet inside the hole, and I wondered what she was thinking about. What memory of Melanie's it was flipping through. I opened my mouth to ask, but snapped it shut.

I heard Jeb approaching and I prepared to turn him away. As long as I was down here, Jamie wouldn't come snooping again.

Jeb nodded in my direction then bent down to poke his head into the hole. I shuddered, how could he act so normal around it? It wasn't his niece he was talking to.

" 'Bout time for another walk?" He asked it. I should have known it should have needed to use the bathroom, but I wasn't going to give it the relief of being human. It shouldn't be here in the first place. But I didn't want Jeb taking it through the caves. If they were to run into Jamie, he'd probably let him talk to it again.

"I'll do it," I growled. There was no way Jamie was getting close to it again. I would make sure of it. "Give me the gun." I reached for it just as Jeb handed it to me. I couldn't really decide if I wanted the gun in my hands to keep Kyle, Brandt, and Ian away, or to shoot it if it said another word to Jamie.

I glanced down to see it pause at the opening of the hole. Good, it was terrified of me. I disliked seeing the body frightened of me, but happy to see the alien inside was.

She moved awkwardly, obviously in pain from being in a cramped space.

She looked up at Jeb. He nodded, "Go ahead." He told her. She needed to ask him permission to walk with me? I couldn't help how much that hurt.

I turned and stalked away from them. There was no way I was going to hold her hand and lead the way, the way Jeb does.

We walked in silence, I could hear its hands moving along the cave wall to help guide it. I made sure to stay clear of those outstretched hands.

I rolled my eyes and stopped walking when I heard her fall. My first instinct was to tease Melanie about her tripping, then help her up, but it wasn't Melanie who fell. I locked my muscles in place to keep from helping it up. I was more prepared the second time it fell. I didn't even turn around this time.

When we reached the straighter section of the long cave, I kept my pace, but it must have thought I walked faster. The hand that once belonged to Melanie grazed my back, tracing my shoulders. It felt too real, it was her touch. I jerked forward, away from it's touch. It wasn't Melanie's.

"Sorry," It whispered. The voice in the darkness brought back too many memories. The first night we met we were in the dark like this. Many nights we scurried through the darkness. How many times her searching hands found me in front of her. I never jerked away from those hands. I let them slide around my waist and hold me close as we walked silently.

I balled my hands into fists to keep the frustration and pain inside.

I walked faster so I wouldn't be reminded of those times again. When I couldn't hear her footsteps behind me anymore I turned slightly, so I wasn't looking right at it, and noticed that it was walking too slowly as she looked around the room.

A growl rumbled in my chest. I forced myself to speak. "C'mon." There wasn't time to browse. My eyes searched for Jamie, but he was no where to be found. No one was. I wondered if Jamie was in our room and who was with him, comforting him. It should be me.

"Move it," I barked when it walked slowly into the darkness by the rivers. I listened hard to see if I could hear her footsteps, but the sound of the rivers drowned everything out. I needed to use the bathroom, too, but there was no way I was going in there with it. Before it was finished I had myself situated.

I walked back to the hole quickly; I didn't want another recap of earlier. When I rounded the corner the light lit up the hall. Jeb stood with two bedrolls at his feet. I hope he was planning on both him and I sleeping on them tonight. But it was Jeb, of course he wasn't thinking like that.

"Are you sleeping down here tonight or am I?" He asked. My assumption was right. One of the beds were for the alien. There was no way I was sleeping beside it tonight. I liked having it in it's own little hole. It made it feel like it was in a whole different room. Away from me.

"I am." I answered him. "And I only need one bedroll." I said coldly.

Jeb raised his eyebrow at me.

"It's not one of us, Jeb." It was my decision; my way of doing this. After all, he said the body belonged to me, so it was my choice what I did with it. "You left this on me - so butt out."

"She's not an animal, either, kid. And you wouldn't treat a dog this way."

I clenched my teeth together. He was right, I wouldn't treat a dog that way. I liked dogs - aliens, not so much. He didn't see the thing standing in front of me the way I did. I could look past the body and see the alien eyes looking at me. I could see the murderer that stole my one true love's body. Took her life without a second thought. It didn't deserve a bed to sleep on.

Jed looked away from me, disappointment in his eyes. "Never figured you for a cruel man," he said softly, and picked up one of the bedrolls and a blanket.

I wasn't being cruel, I was being human.

"Sorry, honey," he said and patted her shoulder.

"Cut that out!" I snapped. I hated that he knew how much it bothered me, but did it anyway. Jeb shrugged and walked away.

When I turned back to the alien, it disappeared into it's tiny hole. At least it knew how to act around me. I laid out the bedroll directly in front of the opening to the hole. "You won't be able to sneak past me." I warned it. My eyes dropped as soon as my head hit the pillow. "If you try…" I yawned. "I _will_ kill you." That was a complete bluff, I didn't have it in me to pull the trigger when I knew Melanie's body was on the other end of the barrel. Whether she was in there or not - it's _her_ body.

I was asleep as soon as I closed my eyes. I almost welcomed the dream with happiness that I never knew I could feel anymore. I was walking through the caves, the searching hand from earlier swept across my shoulders in the way only Melanie would. This time I didn't jerk away. Her hand slid down my back while the other moved slowly down my arm. My hands clenched when I felt her lips touch my arm. Again, I didn't flinch away. These lips, this touch, I knew.

"I'm here, Jared. It's just me." Her voice warmed the darkness.

"I miss you." I whispered back.

Her arms wrapped around me and I turned to face her. "Gah!" I gasped, jumping away from the silver eyes that shone through the darkness.

My eyes shot open and I was panting. My clothes drenched in sweat, but I was shivering.

I took the blue lamp and shone it towards the hole. It was sleeping uncomfortably. I shuddered and laid back down, curling myself into a tight ball, and closing my eyes again. "Mel," I sighed into the darkness as another shiver ran down my spine.


	10. Chapter 10

Time seemed to crawl by as I sat outside the small prison. There was nothing to do to keep the time ticking by. The thought of conversation with it crossed my mind, but it never spoke, anyway. If it didn't speak to Jeb, I doubted it would speak to me. It was hard to tell whether I was being brought breakfast or dinner after a few days.

"Here we go." Jeb said as cheerful as ever. He wasn't talking to me; which he knew angered me more than anything else.

I saw it smile up at him politely as it took the tray he offered. I closed my eyes so I couldn't be reminded of Melanie's smile, though, this one wasn't particularly hers. Her smiles were always brighter, wider… happier.

When Jeb stood up, stretching from having to bend over awkwardly, he met my glare.

"Oh, please," he huffed.

"This ends _now._" I demanded.

"My house, kid." Jeb shook his head.

I pointed to the dark hole where it silently ate. "My girl."

Jeb raised one eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes. "I meant the body belongs to me, remember, Jeb?"

He shrugged, looking down at a spot on the floor beside my feet. I could clearly see the smirk on his lips behind his beard.

"You are to bring the food to the end of the hall and leave it. I will then retrieve it."

Jeb shifted his weight from one leg to the other." So you're going to starve it? I know you won't care whether it eats or not-"

"It'll eat, Jeb," I cocked the gun in my hands and he chuckled. "End of the hall."

"You got nerve, boy." Jeb clicked his tongue as he turned to walk away.

The dark hole was silent when I turned around. I must have startled it. Good.

When I was finished eating- I made sure to eat slowly to help pass the time- I listened for chewing sounds from inside the hole. It was long finished by the time I was done.

The tray scraped loudly across the floor as it pushed it towards me. I watched it flinch away from me when I stuck my hand in to take it away.

I met Jeb at the end of the hall and shoved the empty trays to his chest. He stood starring at me. He has something to say.

I rolled my eyes. "What now?" I groaned.

"It's probably got to _go. _If you know what I mean."

"Fine," I grumbled and turned to storm back to the hole.

"Let's go!" I snapped. "You in there, you need to use the bathroom? Move it!" I had to look away when it's eyes peered up at me, full of fear. I walked faster this time, making sure not to have to feel it's hands again.

It immediately crawled back into it's hole as soon as we got back. I settled in to sleep on the mat again.

The next day was identical to the first. The only difference was Jeb had left the trays at the end of the hall like I had asked. No words were spoken between us or him and the alien. Things were quiet. I didn't particularly like it this way, but it was better than him befriending the enemy.

I heard the footsteps sooner than anyone would. I was used to having to listen for intruders. I jumped to my feet. "Get out of here!" I warned, holding the gun out in front of me. Whoever it was better have a death wish if they continued around that corner. I would shoot first and ask questions later.

"Just checking," My shoulders relaxed when I realized it was Kyle. I was half expecting Jamie to try and sneak his way down here. "Someday you might not be here. Someday you might sleep too soundly."

He didn't know me too well. I would never let my guard down. I cocked the gun to let him know I wasn't messing around.

Kyle laughed as he left. But he left. I won this one. I knew he wasn't going to give up, but neither was I.

The next night it was Brandt. He retreated quickly. I knew he was sent by Kyle to try and get past me. He needed to learn that it wasn't going to work.

Kyle tried again, but I was ready and losing my patience. My finger wrapped around the trigger and I was so lost in my anger that I almost pulled it as soon as I saw his dark figure appear around the corner. His eyes widened quickly as they met mine. He saw something there he's never seen before and he turned and walked quickly away.

The next day was more silent than the first. No one came to try and see if I was asleep. Just Jeb silently bringing the trays. I hurried to get them. I was starving.

My smile spread across my face when I noticed the bag of Cheetos. I knew very well that Melanie loved Cheetos. I knew her body would be craving it the moment I opened the bag. It was my turn to make the alien inside her body pay for what she's done. I slowly opened the bag and brought one to my lips. I munched on it slowly and loudly, savoring the flavor. I knew it was listening to me closely. Even if it didn't like the cheesy snack, the body did.

The laughter coming from the darkness angered me. Did it find this amusing instead of desirable? Not the emotion I was looking for. My chews became angered as I ate. It's laughter grew more hysterical as I consumed the rest of the bag. How did my amusement of having it suffer, turn into it's amusement from me eating? I was beginning to lose control. I could feel it.

I settled in to sleep when the footsteps had me rolling onto my knees. I cursed as I grabbed the gun and fumbled to get it pointed in the direction I wanted. I couldn't believe how much I was asleep. It was hard to get myself fully awake.

"Easy," It was Ian this time. So he sent his brother to take the bullet for him. Didn't matter to me. "I come in peace."

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying." I growled. Was Kyle going out this in a different way? Sending his brother in to act as if he was being nice to me, then the attack would happen when I least expected it? Not gonna work.

"I just want to talk." Ian's approach didn't falter. "You're buried down here, missing the important discussions… we miss your take on things."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure."

Ian walked around the corner and I rose the gun. He held his hands up, palms towards me. His hands were empty. "Oh, put the gun down." If I was planning to fight you, I would have come with four guys this time."

He couldn't be more right. Ian and I were around the same size, but I could take him down easily. No one ever started a fight with me. No one but Kyle, and he never won. He was just hot-headed. "How's your brother these days?" I asked, both reminding him that I could take him down, and warning him that I was stronger than anyone in these caves.

Ian was the good brother. There were too many times when we had each others backs when out on a raid. It didn't feel right to have the gun pointed at him.

I slumped down to the floor, but made sure to place myself in front of the hole. He didn't have any room to get past me if he wanted to.

Ian relaxed in front of me, too. "He's still fuming about his nose," he shrugged and smiled at me. "Oh, well - it's not the first time it's been broken. I'll tell him you said you were sorry."

I squared my shoulders. "I'm not."

Ian laughed quietly, nodding. "I know. No one is ever sorry for hitting Kyle."

We both laughed and it felt good. It's been too long since I laughed. It didn't quite warm my insides, but it felt nice to have another emotion rather than anger and hurt and pain.

I was beginning to realize that I enjoyed having Ian's company down here with me. It was nice to talk to someone. To talk to a brother who respected me as I respected him. The only thing that tied Ian and Kyle as brothers were their looks. Their attitudes were completely different.


	11. Chapter 11

I watched Ian's face, but he was relaxed. If he wasn't going to try and get past me, then what did he want? I couldn't hold the question in any longer. "So what do you want, Ian? Not just an apology for Kyle, I imagine."

Ian looked up at me with shocked eyes. "Jeb didn't tell you?"

I shrugged. "Don't know what you're talking about."

Ian took a deep breath before speaking. "They've given up the search. Even the Seekers."

My whole body tensed. They did come look for it. But was the search really over? Would they just turn their backs on their own kind like that? Does this mean it didn't tell the Seekers about Jamie and I? Or were they actually looking for him and I? I shuddered violently from the thought. It wasn't from fear. It was anger.

Ian must have noticed the reaction. When he spoke again, his voice was reassuring. "We've been keeping a close watch for some change, but they never seemed overly anxious. The search never strayed from the area where we abandoned the car, and for the past few days they were clearly looking for a body rather than a survivor…" He continued talking, but I couldn't get past the fact that it didn't give up Melanie's thoughts to the Seekers. They weren't out here looking for Jamie and I. They were trying to rescue it; thinking that it strayed too far and got lost.

Ian kept talking, not noticing if I was paying attention or not. "… The other Seekers were armed, of course. They scared the coyotes off easily, and the victim wasn't seriously hurt, but the event seems to have answered any questions they might have had about what happened to our guest here."

So they thought it was killed by coyotes. I was suddenly grateful for the animal. Let them think it was dead. With them out of the way, I could focus on what I was going to do with it.

I listened to Ian as he continued to tell his story. "So they packed up and left. The Seekers gave up the search. All the volunteers went home. No one is looking for it." I watched Ian look past me, into the small prison. I heard it rustling inside, but I didn't turn to look. It was over. To the outside world, one of their own was dead. The alien we kept prisoner here has officially fallen off the face of the Earth. "Jeb's been saying 'I told you so' to anyone who'll stand still long enough to hear it."

"Of course Jeb would still be siding with it. He's gone too damn soft. Old man'll probably try and keep it alive now." I grumbled to myself. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "All right, then. I guess that's the end of it." I couldn't believe how relieved I was to have the searching over with. We got passed the hard part.

Ian nodded. "That's what it looks like." Ian paused for a moment before continuing. "Except… Well, it's probably nothing at all."

I stiffened. There was more? "Go on." I demanded.

"No one but Kyle thinks much of it, and you know how Kyle is."

I grunted. Yeah, a pain in my ass. I listened to Ian explain how there was one Seeker who didn't like the fact that they were giving up. It seemed too eager to find our prisoner. The moment he mentioned what it was wearing, there was an odd sound that came from inside the small cave behind me.

Ian and I stared at the other for a moment before it finally clicked. It knew the Seeker we were just talking about.

"What was _that_?" Ian asked, his eyes wide as he stared at the black hole.

We moved at the same time, crowding the small space. I could barely see it's face in the darkness, but it had information and I was prepared to do just about anything to make it talk. I leaned back out of the hole to grab the lantern. I didn't like not being able to see it's reactions. It was as bad as Melanie was with trying to keep something from me.

I stared at it's face, it was obvious that it was scared, but was it scared of the fact that both Ian and I had it cornered in this tiny space, or the Seeker we were just talking about?

"Look at its eyes," Ian muttered. "It's frightened."

I kept hold of its eyes with mine. The way it stared back at me was obvious that it wasn't scared enough of us to be shaking in the corner like that. It was definitely the Seeker. Now I actually had to speak to it. Great.

My mouth went dry just thinking of addressing the alien. But this was important. I had to make sure Jamie was safe here. I didn't have a choice when it came to his safety. "Who is the Seeker in black?" I demanded.

It seemed as if it wanted to answer me, but it kept its mouth shut. This wasn't going to work for me.

"I know you can talk," I growled. I didn't have patience for this. "You talk to Jeb and Jamie. And now you're going to talk to me." I hated having to bring Jamie's name into this, but I was going to try anything. I moved closer to it hoping I could scare it with me being so close.

My body reacted differently than I wanted. I could feel her body heat. I could see the skin on her neck tightening as she panted. The frightened look on her face was suddenly hard for me to look at. I was always quick to wipe the worry from Melanie's face, but I couldn't do that now. I kept my face tight as I stared at it.

"Tell me what you know," I ordered. "Who is the Seeker in black? Why is it still searching?" My patience was gone. I was yelling now. I kept my fists tight to my sides when I really just wanted to choke it out of it. My anger quickly shifted, though. It knew I was raged, it hid behind its hands. I didn't understand. The Seekers were prepared to handle violence. Why was this one cringing away from it?

"Ah - Jared?" Ian murmured. "Maybe you should let me…"

"Stay out of it!" I barked. This was now personal. This was between me and the body snatcher in front of me.

I could feel Ian trying to place himself inside the small space, too, but there was no more room. "Can't you see it's too scared to talk? Leave it alone for a sec-"

I turned quickly and bunched him in the face. I felt better after I hit something. He needed to understand that this body belonged to me and there was no way he was going to tell me how to treat it. I grabbed the light and brought it fully into the small hole with me.

"That's twice," Ian growled at me.

"I'm ready to go for three," I muttered. It was true. I needed to pummel something.

When I spoke to it again, I made sure to keep my voice slow and even. "Who. Is. The. Seeker."

I watched it stare at my face. It seemed to be seeing past the mask that I was wearing. Only the way Melanie knew how. It was scary how much I could still see of my Melanie with this stranger in front of me. "I don't have to hurt you," I said quietly. It was hard to speak to it with meaning in my voice. I felt vulnerable; almost as if I was falling for it's act the way Jamie and Jeb did. "But I do have to know the answer to my question."

It continued to watch my expression.

"Tell me." I didn't like the way I was starting to plead with it.

"The Seeker," It's voice was barely above a horse whisper.

"We already know it's a Seeker." I said impatiently. I needed it to get to the point.

"No, not just any Seeker," it whispered and my heart jumped to my throat, my stomach flipped. "_My_ Seeker."

"What do you mean, _your_ Seeker?" Did I want to know the answer to this question? No. I was sure I didn't, but my heart wasn't what was important right now.

"Assigned to me, following me. She's the reason -" It cut off looking as if it was going to say something it shouldn't.

"The reason?" I pressed. It was going to tell me everything. I wasn't leaving until it did.

"The reason I ran away," it answered me. "The reason I came here."

This made no sense to me. They're not supposed to run away from each other. They all are supposed to like each other. This had to be a lie. Yes. A lie.

"You ran away from a Seeker?" I asked it. "But you're one of them! Why would it follow you? What did it want?"

"She wanted you. You and Jamie." My heart dropped into my stomach. I would kill it right now if it put Jamie's life in danger.

I tried to keep my voice calm. "And you were trying to lead it here?"

It shook its head. "I didn't… I…"

I waited while it conjured up a good enough lie. "What?"

"I didn't want to tell her. I don't like her."

I stared at it confusingly. This makes no sense! They don't know how to hate. I've never seen two aliens argue since the invasion. Not once did one lose their patience with another. Lies. "Don't you all have to like everyone?" I decided to ask that question because I wanted it to know I knew how it's kind worked. I wasn't stupid.

"We're supposed to." It's features turned ashamed. Probably ashamed that it's lying so bad.

"Who did you tell about this place?" That was my next question, but it didn't come from my lips. Ian was back peering through the entrance. I wanted to hit him again, but I also wanted it to answer the question.

"I couldn't tell - I didn't know… I just saw the lines. The lines on the album. I drew them for the Seeker… but we didn't know what they were. She still thinks they're a road map."

This was too strange to listen to. These were Melanie's memories we were talking about. It was strange the way it was supposed to have all her memories. I could remember too easily how quick my family came in search for me. There was nothing they didn't know. "What do you mean you didn't know what they were? You're here." I was done with the lies. I wasn't sure how much more I could handle.

My hand stretched out to choke the truth out of it, but I knew that wasn't the best way to go.

"I… I was having trouble with my… with the… with her memory. I didn't understand… I couldn't access everything. There were walls. That's why the Seeker was assigned to me, waiting for me to unlock the rest."

I glanced at Ian and he had the same look as I did. It had to have been lying. This was too good to be true. Was it possible for Melanie to not have passed on some information? If she kept this place from her then…

I whipped my head around to look back at it. "Were you able to _access _my cabin?" It was the only place Melanie and Jared ever felt safe.

"Not for a long time."

What was that supposed to mean? "And then you told the Seeker." I guessed.

"No."

I was taken back by her answer. "No? Why not?"

"Because… but the time I remembered it… I didn't _want_ to tell her."

This was unbelievable! Why couldn't it just tell me the truth? Tell me that my cabin had been torn apart by the damn Seeker to try and fine where I had taken Jamie. Why couldn't it tell me that the Seeker knew where we were, but was waiting for a sign from it to save it? Surprisingly I could handle that better than I was handling all this.

"Why didn't you want to tell her?" I spoke low, not trusting my voice.

Its lips closed in a tight line. It wasn't going to answer that question. It couldn't think of an answer fast enough. Fine. I could play along.

"Why weren't you able to access everything? Is that… normal?"

"She fell a long way. The body was damaged."

I cocked my head to the side. Well if the other answers weren't a lie, this one sure was. Melanie was found in a building. Where would she had fallen from? Made no sense.

"Why isn't this Seeker giving up like the rest?" Ian asked it. I was glad he asked the next question. I was running out of strength to continue this conversation.

It slumped back against the wall and closed its eyes. "I don't know. She's not like other souls. She's… _annoying_."

Ian laughed once. I didn't have the strength to laugh.

"And you - are you like other… _souls?" _I asked, not really liking the name it used to describe itself. It wasn't a soul. It was a soul-snatcher.

It opened it's eyes to look at me, but didn't answer. Instead, it closed it's eyes again. I could tell it was don't answering question. That was fine by me- I couldn't feel my legs anymore.

I backed out of the cave, taking the light with me. I stood up to stretch. My muscles were sore from the cramped space.

"That was unexpected," Ian whispered.

I shrugged. "Lies, of course." There was no other explanation. I've never known one of them to turn their backs on the others. "Only… I can't quite figure out what it wants us to believe- where it's trying to lead us."

Ian shook his head, his face serious. "I don't think it's lying. Well, except the one time. Did you notice?"

Of course I noticed. I nodded. "Part of the act." It was probably trying to throw us off to the other lies.

Ian leaned towards me, his hand on my shoulder. "Jared, when have you ever met a parasite who could lie about anything? Except a Seeker, of course."

I nodded slowly. Now he was getting it. "Which it must be."

Ian leaned away from me, his eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

I shrugged. "It's the best explanation."


	12. Chapter 12

I watched Ian leave, his words echoing in my head. _Just because she isn't human, do you think that means she doesn't feel pain? That she doesn't feel just like a girl who's been beaten - beaten by us?_

I paced in front of the cave, but my eyes stayed focused on it. The marks on it's face did in fact bother me, but only because it was Melanie's face that was bruised. I didn't care if it had feelings or not. It wants to act human, well, then, it can feel pain like a human can. What did it matter to me what it felt. If it was Melanie, then it'd be a different story.

"_Guilty," _I grumbled to myself. "Letting it get to him. Just like Jeb, like Jamie. Can't let this go on. Stupid to let it live." It was too late now, though. Jamie saw it. He would never speak to me again if he knew I killed it - killed his sister's body. If only he didn't come down here. I should have kept a close eye on him.

"Oh, Jamie," I moaned into my hands. My heart broke for the kid, but it was also breaking for myself.

I slid down the wall and sat in front of the small cave. I was exhausted, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep. My body was pulling me in two different directions again. My heart is aching for the body behind me, but my mind is screaming at me that it's not who I want it to be.

Ian was proof that this alien shouldn't live among us anymore. It could just be a Seeker lying to everyone, trying to look sweet and innocent. Then we let our guard down and she attacks with her alien army. Stupid. Stupid to let it stay live.

I looked at the dark hole behind me and reached for the blue lamp and shone it into the cave. I sighed heavily when I saw how much it slept like Melanie.

I growled and forced myself to turn away. I wasn't going to be suckered into it's lies. I'd kill it before it got the chance to sneak by me.

My eyes were heavy, but I couldn't sleep. My mind was working overtime. It wouldn't have let me sleep even if I wanted to.

I heard it shift lightly and it's breathing sped up. Must be morning. It was awake. I rubbed my sore eyes and went back to my deep thoughts.

The footsteps caused me to look up. I reached silently for the gun laying beside me.

"'S just me," Jeb called out. "Don't get worked up."

I narrowed my eyes and cocked the gun. I wasn't in the mood for more lectures on how the parasite is brainwashing the others.

"Go ahead and shoot me, kid. Go ahead."

What was I doing? This was Jeb. I was beginning to think I was slowing going insane. I sighed and put the gun down. "Please leave." I begged.

"Need to talk to you," he said as he sat down across from me. He leaned so he was looking around me. "Hey, there," he nodded it it's direction.

My eyes tightened, acid pooled in my mouth. My thoughts from overnight were true in every sense. Jeb was the first one pulled under it's lies. "You know how much I hate that," I muttered.

Jed tried hiding a smile behind his beard. "Yep."

"Ian already told me about the Seekers-"

"I know. I was just talkin' with him about it."

"Great. Then what do you want?"

"Not so much what _I_ want. It's what everybody needs. We're running low on just about everything. We need a real comprehensive supply run."

"Oh," I muttered. I hoped he wasn't expecting me to go. Probably what the Seeker behind me wants: me to leave so it can continue to persuade the rest of the gullible humans here. "Send Kyle." I suggested, trying to get the attention off of me. I wasn't leaving.

Jeb nodded slowly, pursing his lips. "Okay," he said matter-of-factly. He moved as if he was going to stand up. Of course he couldn't sent Kyle! Was he insane!

I sighed when he seemed to agree with my suggestion. "No. Not Kyle. He's too…" stupid, careless, dumb. Anything negative and Kyle was it.

Jeb chuckled. "Almost got us in some real hot water the last time he was out alone, didn't he? Not one to think things through. Ian, then?"

"He thinks things through _too_ much." I knew where this was heading. There was no one that could do a successful raid like me. I needed to go.

"Brandt?"

I shook my head. "He's no good for the long trips. Starts getting panicked a few weeks in. Makes mistakes."

Jeb's smile was back behind his beard. "Okay, you tell me who, then."

I tried. I tried hard to think of someway I could stay here. I came up with every possible pairing I could in my head, but came up with nothing.

Jeb broke through my concentration. "Ian and Kyle together?" He asked. "Maybe they could balance each other out."

I groaned, running my hand down my face. "Like the last time? Okay, okay, I know it has to be me." Damn.

Jeb nodded. "You're the best," he agreed with me. "You changed our lives when you showed up here."

I didn't know what to say about that. I just knew how to raid properly, while the others… didn't. I jerked my head towards the black hole. "What about…"

Jeb nodded, seeming as if he was waiting for me to ask. "I'll keep an eye on her when I can. And I'll expect you to take Kyle with you. That oughta help."

Keep an eye on her? She'd escape for sure! Either that or someone else will get a by and kill it. I shook my head. "That wont be enough - Kyle gone and you keeping an eye on her when you can. She… it wont last long." I wasn't going to be suckered into treating it like a human. It wasn't a _she._ If it was then she would be Melanie.

Jeb shrugged. "I'll do my best. That's all I can do."

I shook my head slowly. Didn't he realize it's plan? Or did he actually _want_ someone to kill it? Why did I even care?

"How long can you stay down here?" Jeb asked me.

I looked down at the dirt floor. "I don't know," my voice wouldn't go above a whisper.

I could leave, I could take all the ones who were a threat to it's life and Jeb could only focus on keeping an eye on it not escaping. Or I can just take either Brandt or Kyle with me, leaving the other to handle my dirty work for me. No. I didn't want that. Did I? Would it be easier dealing with it's death when it wasn't at my hands? Could I look past the fact that one of them killed the body I once loved?

Jeb began to whistle on the other wall. He was growing impatient.

The odds of it escaping from these caves were slim. The odds of someone killing it were not. But, it would be out of my hands if someone killed it. It wouldn't be by my word. Jamie couldn't be mad at me for it. He wouldn't be able to hold me responsible.

I let out the breath I was holding and spoke without looking at him. "I'll leave tonight." My eyes ached to look at the body for one last time. But I fought the urge. I needed to focus now. I could keep my mind clear for the raid. Whatever I come home to, I come home to. Fate's not in my hands for once.

"That's probably best." Jeb was smiling once again. He had something up his sleeve, but I didn't have the strength to figure it out. I had more important things to worry about now.

"I'll need to get some things organized…" I trailed off as I welcomed the plans running through my head. They violently pushed aside the past few days and I was free.

"I'll take over here, then. Have a safe trip." Jeb stared at me for a moment.

"Thanks. Guess I'll see you when I see you, Jeb." Our goodbyes were a little more heartfelt, but I wasn't in the mood.

"Guess so."

I handed him his gun and stood up. Without a second thought, I turned my back on the black prison and walked away.


	13. Chapter 13

I half ran through the caves, my eyes on the ground so I couldn't make eye contact with anyone. I was too focused on my feet to even realize someone was in my room.

"You avoiding me, Jared?" Jamie's tense voice was low.

I looked up to see him sitting on our mattress. His eyes were red and I knew the few days I stayed guard did him no good. Seeing her just that once was enough to hurt him for a lifetime.

I cursed under my breath before walking over to sit on the mattress on the opposite side he was on. "Look, Jamie, I'm sorry you saw… that thing down there. I tried, kid. I tried real hard to keep you from seeing her- it."

I watched his jaw clench and unclench as he stared at a spot on the wall. He took a few deep breaths before letting his eyes drop to the floor. "I wanted to go." He whispered.

My hands balled into fists. "That's not your sister, Jamie. You have to understand that. I know it's hard. She looks like Mel, but it's not her. Please, please, Jamie, don't let it get inside your head- no pun intended." I nudged his shoulder, trying to bring in the old dry humor we used to share, but he wasn't budging. Seeing Melanie's body down in that cave freaked him out more than I thought it would.

I laid my hand on his shoulder and gave a tight squeeze. "I wont let anything happen to you. You know that, right? I swear to you, Jamie. I won't let that parasite hurt you anymore than it already has."

"I'm not hurt. I'm happy to see that Mel's body is…" he choked off, coughing away his sob. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Mel's body. It looks great… considering…" He seemed to have lost his voice mid-sentence, and jumped to his feet, running out of the room.

"Considering what?" I called after him.

I got to my feet when he didn't answer, and started to go after him. "Jamie, wait!"

"Jared." Kyle stopped me in the hall. He blocked me in so I couldn't get around him. I caught sight of Jamie just as he turned the corner towards where the game room was.

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"You going on a raid?"

I looked over his shoulder to see Jamie back, starring at me wide-eyed. "You're leaving, _now_?"

I nodded, answering both of their questions.

"Need help? I bet we could bring Doc home a little something," Kyle shrugged. "You know, since you wont let him-" His sentence cut off when my fist met his mouth. He wasn't going to scare Jamie anymore than he already was.

I thought about the fact that Kyle would be here alone with Jamie and the alien. I straightened Kyle up and shoved him towards his room. "You're coming with me."

He nodded and went to get his things.

I patted the knife in my pocket and looked at Jamie. "You stay away from it while I'm gone. Anything happens- if it get's away- I want you to run. Just you. Don't follow anyone and don't bring anyone with you. You know your way into town. Remember the hiding places we talked about if we were to ever get separated?" I waited until he nodded. His eyes wide as he listened to me. I walked over to him and placed both my hands on his shoulders. "Go to one of those, one of the ones no one else knows about. I'll come for you. I will keep you safe."

"I don't think it's going to-"

"Do you understand what I'm telling you?" I cut him off. I didn't need him to tell me it wasn't going to hurt anyone. I could understand why he would want to think that. When he looked at that body he only sees the sister that gave her life to protect him. Of course he wouldn't see her any other way. I had to plan for the worst case scenario. I had to protect him no matter what.

I knew Jamie just as much as he knew me. He knew I would protect him over anyone else in these caves. I promised Melanie I would do just that, and there was no going back on my word when it came to her and Jamie. He gave one quick nod, letting me know he understood.

"Thanks," I sighed.

"Stay safe." He said as I walked away to round up the other potential threats to the alien; Brandt, Ian, and Kyle were on my list to bring with me.

"Ian!" I called out when I saw him walking into the kitchen. "Get ready, you're coming on the raid."

"No I'm not. I think I'll stay with Jeb… you know, keep an eye on things."

I shook my head. "I think you need to come."

"I think I need to stay."

We stood starring at each other for a few minutes. I couldn't find anything in his eyes that told me he was planning on some sort of attack. I couldn't see any threat. I was confused by this, but was in too much of a hurry to figure it out.

"Fine," I growled. "Stay. I'll find Andy." I turned and stormed off towards Andy and Paige's room.

I was relieved to see that he wanted to go. As much as I liked to work alone, I didn't want to go off with just Kyle.

The sun was just rising as we ran to the jeep. At least I was going to get a few hours of sleep before the sun set again.

We lounged out around the tight space and got as much sleep as we could. There wasn't going to be much of it once we were out in the open.

"What are you going to do with it? You can't care too much what happens. You left my brother alone with it." Kyle said when we were driving down the dark streets.

"I don't think I need to worry about Ian. He didn't seem to much of a threat. But I _don't _care what happens to it, Kyle. You can tear each one of it's disgusting tentacles off for all I care. I'm just worried about the body."

"You gotta stop looking at it like that. Close your eyes and pull the trigger. Then you'd never see the target your hitting. That's what I would do if Jodi's body came looking for me."

I nodded, but kept silent. He had a point, but even then… could I do it? Probably not.

"Didn't think so." Kyle snorted a laugh. "You're too soft."

"Am not!" I let go of the steering wheel and punched him in the arm as hard as I could. "Next stop, you're driving the truck and Andy's in here with me." I muttered.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help you out. It's hurting you and the kid more by keeping it alive. Put the body out of it's misery. I never met Melanie, but she seems as if she would be the type to beg you to kill her if she was turned into one of them."

I couldn't help but laugh- it was either that or cry. "That's my girl. She probably would, but I'm also not the type of person to kill the woman I love. Even if she begged me."

"You're putting your heart in front of what's really important, bro. Stop looking at it like that. Takes two seconds to lift the gun, another second to place your finger on the trigger, and less than a second to actually pull it. Then it's done. You can live your life knowing she's better off. Mel's gone, Jared. She's not coming back. They already killed her. She died when they cut her open."

I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. I was beginning to lose feeling in my fingers. "I need to focus." I grumbled and slammed my foot down on the gas.


	14. Chapter 14

The rock dug into my side, but I had to lay still. The sun had just set and the occupants of the house we've been watching all day were getting ready to work the night shift somewhere. I could easily concentrate on the threats around us and forget about the sharp rock jabbing into my side.

We laid perfectly still as the occupants walked right by us, hidden in the small ditch. The moonlight plaid in our favor as it cast shadows from the bushes behind us, over our bodies.

"Ready?" Kyle twitched impatiently beside me.

"No," I whispered.

"I'm starving! Come on!"

"Kyle, keep your ass hidden until I give the okay. I don't want to go saving it this raid. I'll leave you to the parasites this time."

Kyle cursed me out under his breath, but I ignored him.

"Andy, the house clear?" I whispered as I kept my eyes on the now dark road. The car had pulled out of the driveway a good five minutes ago.

"Black as anything." He answered me.

"Let's do it." I shoved away from the ground and sprinted silently towards the back door.

We slipped in silently and found our way to the kitchen.

Kyle dropped his box on the floor and I immediately began to fill it, working fast, but organized. We could pack more if we didn't just throw all the food into the boxes.

Kyle and Andy moved through the kitchen, tossing me boxes and bags of food. I filled the boxes with no room to spare; making each food item fit perfectly beside the others. A pen wouldn't have fit in the tiniest hole by the time I was finished.

The night went smoothly as we hurried, invisible in our dark clothes, to every other empty house on the street.

It wasn't until our third night that we ran into trouble. Turns out the occupants of the house we were raiding had forgotten something, and returned back home to retrieve it.

The car lights flashed across the wall of the kitchen in front of all of us.

"It's got to be the neighbors pulling out of their driveway." Andy whispered.

"Stay low!" I hissed, ducking behind the counter.

I reached into my pocket and gripped my knife tight in my hand, pointed directly in front of me. I wouldn't hesitate to kill a parasite. With the vision of the one back in the caves, I was hoping to kill one.

The fairly large, middle-aged man walked up the front walkway. The motion light in the front lit up the yard as he approached the house.

"The back door," Andy whispered, shoving Kyle in the direction.

"No!" I growled. "It's too late."

The front door opened and the man whistled to himself as he wondered through the house.

Behind me, something hit the kitchen table and the candle that was on the center toppled over.

I bit my bottom lip until I tasted blood.

I spun around on the floor to see who made the racket. Andy and Kyle were both frozen on the floor. They were heading towards the back door. Why did I always need to save them?

"H-Hello?" The man stuttered. "Someone in here? You lost?" He flicked on lights as he moved through the house, towards the kitchen.

"No!" I yelled when Kyle reached out and grabbed onto his foot as he walked by him.

The man went down, smacking his face on the tile floor. He cried out, cupping his hands over his broken nose.

We all jumped to our feet, towering over the man.

"Who are you?" He cried out, shaking on the floor.

"You never saw us."

"I'm going to call a Seeker if you don't tell me who you are, please. I wont hurt you!" His sentence ended with that last statement. I couldn't bare to hear those words come out of the very mouth of a creature that caused Melanie whatever pain she inflicted when they captured her. I knew she wouldn't have went down without a fight.

I shoved the knife back in my pocket and we ran from the house.

"I think we should raid a few states away from here." Any said once we got in the car.

"Jared, man, you okay?" Kyle patted my back from the back seat and I flinched away from him. "Deep breaths, it was his own damn fault for coming back into the house. You've got a lot of anger locked up inside. It's something we all would have done."

He continued speaking, but I stopped listening. My mind wrapped around all the possible scenarios that Melanie went through when she was captured; how scared was she, did she feel anything, how much pain was she in when it happened, how she said her silent goodbyes-if she even had time to do that- how long she was awake or aware of what was happening to her… the questions went on and on as we drove in silence.

The last house we were raiding was closer to home, since we were making our way back. Kyle and Andy both still wanted to capture a parasite so we could experiment a little more. I didn't mind; if there was a way to get Melanie back somehow- save her- I would do it.

"Oh, this is too easy!" Kyle cheered as I pulled up behind a man walking his dog on the sidewalk. The street was a dead end road, so no cars were on it, besides ours.

Andy rolled down his window just enough for the man to hear his voice and not see his filthy face.

"Excuse me, sir." Andy said politely.

"May I help you?" The man asked, immediately approaching the car.

Kyle and I slipped out of the car and hurried around to where the man was standing.

The dog never even barked as me attacked its owner.

Once the man was limp in my arms, we shoved him in the backseat and hurried back home.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! I'm so glad this story is such a hit! And I wanted to say a HUGE thank you to all the supporters out there who have visited my Host fansite :)! I really appreciate it! I also wanted to let those of you know, who aren't following the fansite on twitter, or "like" us on facebook, I'm running two contests at the moment. A Twitter contest which is the older one: help us get to 100 followers and the last person to retweet us wins a paperback edition of The Host! And I'm running a Facebook contest: help us get to 500 "likes" by getting your friends to "like" our Facebook page! Once the contest is over there will be further instructions on how to send in a screenshot of the amount of friends you have who like the page. The winner will revieve a Host t-shirt of their choice from Hobo Skate co.**

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"What do you think was up with the dog?" Kyle asked as I raced down the street.

I shrugged. "They're all too nice to each other. The dogs haven't needed to protect their owners in years, or bark because of an intruder. Dog had no idea what was going on."

Kyle laughed loudly. "No one ever sees us coming."

"Nope."

When we arrived back at the caves we were quick to start unpacking.

"I'll go get some help bringing in the extra baggage." Kyle said as he hurried into the cave.

I dropped the limp body at my feet, tired of carrying him across the dessert. I leaned against the opening of the cave and swiped the back of my hand across my sweaty forehead.

"Hey!" Jamie's voice echoed through the caves as he ran. "Jared!"

"Hey, kid." I smiled and couldn't help but sigh heavily. It was nice to hear his chipper voice. At least the parasite was still under control if he's walking around happily.

"How was it?"

"Same old, same old." I said a little quieter since he turned the corner and I could see his face. His smile matched the brightness in his eyes. It's been a while since I saw that look on his face. I couldn't help but look at him confusingly. "What's gotten into you?" I asked him.

He shrugged and looked down at the body at my feet.

"Again?"

"For Doc. Would be nice to know what that parasite is inside Mel. Don't you think?"

He nodded slowly, shrugging it off.

"Jamie…" I trailed off as I studied his face. "Where's the alien? We're unpacking by the hole, so did Jeb already movie it?"

He looked down at his feet and kicked a stone.

I stepped over the body and gripped the collar of his shirt in two fists. "Have you been talking to it again? What kind of lies has it manipulated you into believing? Jamie I told you to stay away from it!"

"She's not so bad… I mean… well, Jeb hasn't had her in the hole for a while…" he trailed off when he noticed the flames burning in my eyes. My skin felt hot as I stared down at him.

"Boys, you know I can't figure this out." Doc said as he hurried over to us.

"Just work on it, Doc. The more we know the better." I said and turned to face Kyle and Andy.

"Let's go." I said and walked into the caves.

"Not one word about this to the parasite, Jamie. We don't want to set it off into some sort of panic attack or something."

"Believe me, I wont say a word. I don't want her upset."

I growled deep in my chest. "Who cares what it feels."

"I do." He said quietly.

I sped up and soon Jamie was gripping my arm as I followed the voices.

"Jared, wait!" Jamie begged, but I was stronger than him. I dragged him along as I hurried towards the group of people.

"Jared, now wait a second." Jeb said as he caught up to me. "Let the kid explain."

I looked down at Jamie's smiling face again and had to look away. There was a reason that look was on his face and it wasn't just because I was back safe. It was a smile he always wore when his sister was near him.

I turned the corner, ignoring Jeb and froze in place. In the center of the small gathering was the parasite, looking as if it fit right in to our small community. Fit in the way Melanie would have if she'd come with us. This wasn't Melanie. This creature didn't belong here.

I stepped towards it, raising the hand that Jamie wasn't clinging to, and balled it into a fist. If my decision wasn't made before, it was made now. There was no way this creature was going to find happiness in a body that didn't belong to it. Melanie could never be happy again, so why should it be happy. My decision was made, and I had to admit that it felt good to finally know.

Jamie gripped my arm tighter from excitement. "Wanda is…" He kept talking, but I could only hear his voice calling his sister by a different name. A name that could never fit with the body. That body would always belong to Melanie. I hated myself for letting Jamie get so close to it. He no longer looked at the person in front of him as his sister. He settled with the monster inside, controlling Melanie's body. He named her…

"_Wanda?" _I spit through my teeth.

Kyle growled behind me, his anger and mine were finally equal. If he was to lunge for the parasite, then I would be right behind him. I would no longer stand in his way. Just as he said. _It takes less than two seconds to pull the trigger._ Just as I expected, Kyle stepped around me.

"What the hell, people?" Kyle's voice echoed through the room. I made no move to stop his approach on the alien. "You're letting it tell you lies? Have you all gone crazy? Or did it lead the Seekers here? Are you _all_ parasites now?"

I stared at the back of Kyle's head, almost willing him to do what I wanted to do. My own hands couldn't kill the body I now despised, but I could let Kyle do it.

"Easy, Kyle." Walter said. I watched the old man trying to defend the parasite. It pained me to have to now be angry at him.

I kept my eyes focused on Kyle, my palms sweaty. I didn't want to look into the eyes I could feel baring into me. I didn't know why it was looking at me, but I wasn't going to save it now.

The figure moving around the alien caught my attention and I broke my gaze from Kyle to see who had moved.

My breath hitched when I noticed Ian stepping in front of it, _protecting_ it from his own brother. What happened while we were away? Ian was on our side, now he's turned his back on his own brother to protect an alien that's destroyed our world. Destroyed my one and only love. Now he was protecting the body that originally belonged to me. That bothered me more than the fact that Ian was turning his back against his own brother.

"Things changed while you were gone, brother."

Kyle paused, watching Ian with disbelief in his eyes. "Did the Seekers come, then, Ian?"

"She's not a danger to us."

Of course it wasn't a danger to us. There were more of us here than her. She knew she didn't stand a chance.

Kyle reached for his pocket and I thought hard about whether or not he had my blade on him. I could feel the weight of it in my pocket, but then realized he was reaching for a flashlight.

"Don't get in his way, Ian." Melanie's voice ordered.

My mouth fell open.; it knew his name. It spoke of him as if they've been friends for years. I couldn't help the jealousy that flowed through me at the way it's eyes looked at him, pleading with him not to get himself hurt.

Those eyes didn't know how to love or care for another. Those eyes weren't human.

"So what, then?" Kyle asked his brother. "You're not a parasite. How did it get to you?"

"Calm down, and we'll tell you all about it." Ian said smoothly.

"No." I snapped, stepping forward, taking Jamie with me. This was going to end, and it was going to end now. Whether it was by my own hands or not. I didn't care anymore; I could close my eyes and point the gun. I couldn't have it threatening Jamie the way it's already gotten to him. If I stayed away just a few more days, I could have lost him. It would have brainwashed him into becoming one of them. I couldn't lose Jamie, too. He'd forgive me one day.

"I don't think anyone needs to calm down." I said through clenched teeth. "Jeb, give me the gun."


End file.
